A Very Good Year

Esther Zuckerman is an appropriate guest for Oscar Sunday, as she is the author of the fabulous book “Beyond the Best Dressed; A Cultural History of the Most Glamorous, Radical, and Scandalous Oscar Fashion.” She joins us to talk about famous Oscar spoiler “Shakespeare in Love,” the wildly underrated “Velvet Goldmine,” the one and only “Big Lebowski,” and more of the movies of 1998.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David Fear, chief film critic and senior editor at “Rolling Stone,” had not yet joined the living in the year 1968, but he’s always been fascinated by its contradictions and commentaries. He joins us to discuss the genius of “2001: A Space Odyssey,” the majesty of “Once Upon a Time in the West,” and the stickiness of “Rosemary’s Baby.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The whip-smart and hysterically funny Katie Rife joins us to talk about the movies of 1978 — from the terrifying precision to “Halloween” to the sweaty muscularity of “The 36th Chamber of Shaolin” to the impeccable formalism of “Les Rendez-vous d’Anna” — and why ‘70s genre cinema holds up so well.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our Aussie invasion continues with this week’s guest, film critic and podcaster extraordinaire, Blake Howard, the mastermind of One Heat Minute Productions. Blake joins us to talk about unhealthy relationships with movies and his love for the films of 1970, from the gallows humor of “M*A*S*H” to the working class heroism of “Five Easy Pieces” to the unequalled cool (and Frenchness) of “Le Cercle Rouge.”  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sam Adams, writer and senior editor for Slate, was in the midst of his cinephile awakening in 1992, when he was taking in new indies and other risky delights at the SoNo Cinema. Join us as we walk through the vérité discomforts of “Husbands and Wives,” the radical queer art of “Edward II,” the biting-the-hand-that-feeds-you brilliance of “The Player,” and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Film critic, author, “Fangoria” columnist, physical media mainstay, and recovering academic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas joins us for a jaunt through the dark laughs of “Little Murders” and “A New Leaf,” the knotty gender politics of “Straw Dogs,” and more of the disturbances and pleasures of 1971.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brian Raftery is the host of the excellent narrative podcasts “Gene and Roger and Do We Get to Win This Time? for the Ringer and Spotify; he’s also SUCH an expert on the movies of 1999, he wrote an entire book about them: the wonderful “Best. Movie. Year. Ever: How 1999 Blew Up the Big Screen.” He joins us to talk about why “Election” still hits, why “Eyes Wide Shut” has had such a wild afterlife, how “Blair Witch” is somehow underrated, and much more.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're talking about movies during the quiet time with the host of "Watch with Jen" and (relevant to our interests here) the co-host of "Midnight Run-Through," Film Intuition's Jen Johans. She's joining us to discuss the formative year of 1988, when her frequent babysitting gigs were highlighted by stacks of such VHS favorites as "Bull Durham" and "A Fish Called Wanda." Plus, BOGOSIAN! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For season two, we’re wiping the slate clean and letting our guests pick any year they want, even if we covered it in season one. So first up, the very knowledgable and extremely affable host of the wonderful “Just the Discs” podcast, and the co-host of our beloved (and influential) “Pure Cinema Podcast” joins us to discuss the lovable losers of “Scarecrow,” the fast friends of “The Last Detail,” the witty whodunit “The Last of Sheila,” and more of the movies of 1973. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For the first of our hiatus bonus episodes, we’re proud to welcome back one of the season’s most popular guests: indie guru John Pierson, who joined us back in April to talk about 1989. When we were discussing his appearance, he proposed talking about the year that he and his family spent a year operating the 180 Meridian Cinema, the most remote movie theater in the world. At this 288-seat venue on Tavueni Island in Fiji, the Piersons programmed a full year of programming, mostly new releases, as free nightly movies; the last month of that year was documented in the film Reel Paradise, directed by Steve James of “Hoop Dreams” fame. We are also joined by John’s wife Janet Pierson, an equally legendary figure on the indie film scene, thanks to her 15 years overseeing the vision, programming, and execution of the SXSW Film Festival. If you’d like to know more about their time in Tavueni, here’s a summary, in the Los Angeles Times, from right before the release of Reel Paradise..John also wrote two pieces for that publication about their time there, one in July of 2002, another that December.Thanks for listening! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Since she last joined us to talk about 2005 back in September, Alissa Wilkinson nabbed a new gig: she’s now a movie critic for the New York Times. So she joins us to talk about that transition and the films of the year that just ended – our favorites of ‘23, for starters, as well as some of the (mostly heartening) trends we’ve seen in moviemaking and moviegoing this year. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We wrap up our first season — a full year of shows — in true season finale fashion: with a super-sized clip show, featuring some of our favorite segments from the past year, including our own Top 5 (of the best movies we watched for the first time for the show). Plus, a very good origin story, background on some of our most cherished episodes, and more!The headlines segment is from Episode 11: 1975 with Sean Burns, which you can listen to here. Tracks is from Episode 6: 1976 with Noah Segan, which you can listen to here. Martha Marcy May Marlene is from Episode 27: 2011 with Kristen Meinzer, which you can listen to here. MMMM is available for digital rental or purchase.Babo 73 is from Episode 15: 1964 with Frank Conniff, which you can listen to here. Babo 73 is currently streaming on the Criterion Channel. Stalker is from Episode 14: 1979 with Bradford Young, which you can listen to here. Stalker is currently streaming on HBO Max and the Criterion Channel. And Sunrise is from Episode 3: 1927 with Dana Stevens, which you can listen to here. Sunrise is currently streaming on Tubi, Hoopla, the Roku Channel, and Classix. The awards and box office segment is from Episode 30: 1972 with Judy Becker, which you can listen to here; the lightning round is from Episode 23: 1993 with Karina Longworth, which you can listen to here. Thank you so much for supporting us over the course of this first season! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our final guest of the season is a legend of film history and criticism who spent 30 years as film critic for “Entertainment Tonight,” 25 years (and counting) teaching at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, and his entire career writing essential books including (but certainly not limited to) his standard-setting “Leonard Maltin’s Movie Guide.” He joins us to discuss the movies of 1935, including his favorite Alfred Hitchcock, his favorite Marx Brothers, and a particularly timely pick for the spooky season.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matt Singer is a film critic, entertainment journalist, and author — and his latest book is a real treat for all you nerds who listen to this nerdy show. “Opposable Thumbs: How Siskel & Ebert Changed Movies Forever” is a combination of dual biography, media history, and film commentary, so he joins us to talk about his love for Siskel & Ebert, and how it led him to this book. And they were active during his year of choice, 1984, so Matt not only shares his thoughts on his top five, but Gene & Roger’s as well.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We had to lose so much great stuff from this week's episode with guest Joe Lynch that we decided to lead off this week's bonus episode with a bunch of outtakes - and since we wanted to share all of that with so many of you, this week's bonus episode is free to the feed. So join us for more on 'Suitable Flesh,' more on 'Nightbreed' and 'Darkman,' and more in general. AND THEN you'll get to hear what an after-show sounds like, as Mike and Jason talk more about the movies of 1990, including some talk about 'The Godfather Part III,' 'Mo' Better Blues,' and 'Goodfellas,' PLUS we'll plow through even more of this week's Lightning Round titles. If you like this bonus episode and would like to hear more, either become a paid subscriber on Substack or upgrade to a premium subscription on Apple Podcasts!  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joe Lynch is a genre director extraordinaire - his credits include ‘Wrong Turn 2,’ ‘Everly,’ ‘Mayhem,’ ‘Point Blank,’ and his latest, the H.P. Lovecraft adaptation ‘Suitable Flesh’ (out in theaters and on VOD October 27). Joe was in his early teens in 1990, and for reasons we’ll discuss, saw pretty much anything and everything in this year that proved key to his development as a filmmaker and movie lover.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jason Diamond is one of our favorite writers, and not just because of his quality prose — it’s because he’s an expert and an enthusiast, about everything from men’s fashion to books to bagels. And one of his favorite things to geek out about is the cinema of the ‘70s, so he joins us this week to talk up 1973, and five films that, in their own (sometimes twisted) ways, made him who he is today.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Writer, film critic, programmer, and curator Monica Castillo gave herself a challenge for this week’s show: she picked, by a good stretch, the earliest year we’ve ever done. But 1922 is an out-and-out banger, with key early texts in horror, documentary, comedy, and melodrama. Plus, bonus, there weren’t any Oscars for us to complain about! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kristy Puchko — film critic, entertainment reporter, and the film editor at Mashable — was nine years old in 1992, and was probably entirely too young to see most of the dark, weird, horny movies that ended up shaping her warped mind at that age. Let’s look back at them! (This episode is sponsored by the New York Film Festival.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alissa Wilkinson - senior correspondent and critic at Vox - was just out of college in 2005 and, when the year began, she had not yet decided to devote her life to film criticism. But this was the year that she made that decision, so she joins us this week to discuss the movies that opened her eyes as a moviegoer and a critic. (This episode is sponsored by the New York Film Festival.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Scott Wampler had his 13-year-old brain entirely re-arranged by a movie he saw in 1994, so he joins us to talk about how that happened, and what else he saw that year that stuck with him. This terrific film writer and podcaster co-hosts the “Kingcast,” a deep dive into the work and adaptations of Stephen King, so you won’t be surprised to learn that his list includes a King movie, and a movie kinda sorta about a King-like figure. Enjoy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ty Burr was the film critic for the Boston Globe for two decades, before departing that post to start up the must-read Substack newsletter “Ty Burr’s Watchlist.” He was also a senior writer for “Entertainment Weekly” from 1990 to 2002 —aka that publication’s glory years—but before THAT, he worked as a film selector and advisor for HBO and Cinemax (particularly the latter’s, ahem, late night programming). He was working that gig in 1986, a killer year for mainstream movies and the blossoming indie movie scene. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we’re joined by Sarah Bea Milner, our first writer/editor/folk musician! She is currently the editor at Kidscreen, and she has bylines at Polygon, /Film, Screen Rant and more, and her area of expertise is classic horror - so she picked 1932, a year of mummies and freaks and old, dark houses. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we’re pleased to welcome director, writer, and comedian Sammi Cohen to talk about the movies of 1995 - many of which were big inspirations for their first feature, the queer high school love triangle rom-com “Crush” (on Hulu) and their new adaptation of the hit young adult novel “You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitvah,” produced by Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison Productions and hitting Netflix this Friday.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sheila O’Malley is a classic film buff who joins the esteemed ranks of our “the 1950s were AWESOME, actually” guests, looking back at the equally compelling domestic and foreign cinema of the wild, eventful year of 1953. Ruined women! International sideboob! Juvenile delinquents! What’s not to love? Sponsored by the New York Film Festival. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Justin Chang is one of the genuine greats of contemporary film criticism - chief critic for the "Los Angeles Times" and NPR’s “Fresh Air,” a title he previously held at "Variety." He joins us to talk about the films of 1944, and to explain how he became so enamored of crime fiction, hard-boiled movies, and film noir at such an impressionable age. (Sponsored by the New York Film Festival.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Craig D. Lindsey was a working critic in 1997, so he has a LOT of pleasant moviegoing (and reviewing) memories from that year; he also made a top ten list at the time, so he took particular pleasure out of revisiting and revising those favorites. And there were many: a new Tarantino, a new Lynch, breakthroughs for Paul Thomas Anderson and Matt and Ben, and a big blockbuster about a big-ass boat. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Character actor, cartoon doctor, and general bon vivant James Urbaniak joins us to walk through the cinema de 1957 - a year of foreign triumphs and domestic groundbreakers, of media satires and existential examinations. You won’t be surprised that a Hal Hartley regular is a knowledgeable and eloquent cinephile, but you WILL be delighted!  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jessica Pickens is a film blogger and historian specializing in World War II-era cinema, movie musicals, and, luckily for us, the films of 1939. She started a side project of watching every damn movie from that greatest of movie years clear back in 2011, so she decided to leave aside the greatest hits of the year (your Wizards of Oz, your Gones with the Wind, etc.) to bring us some of the lesser-known gems she’s discovered in the process.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Daniela Taplin Lundberg was born into film production - her father Jonathan produced the first major movie for a promising young filmmaker named Martin Scorsese - and her producing credits include “The Kids Are All Right,” “Honey Boy,” “Harriet,” and “Together Together.” Now she hosts the essential podcast “Hollywood Gold,” where she welcomes other producers to tell their war stories about iconic movies, and joins us to talk about her favorite films of 1988—including one with a very personal connection. (Sponsored by MUBI.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

 Beloved film critic and niche culture aficionado Jordan Hoffman was wise enough to call dibs quite some time ago on not only one of the great years of the ‘70s, but great movie years, period—a game-changing 12 months for the movies, thanks to a pair of sci-fi smashes, a modest romantic comedy, and a big movie with a bigger soundtrack. Come for the high-profile flicks, stay for the tales of Jordan’s charming New Jersey youth! (Sponsored by MUBI.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Vulture" TV critic and author Jen Chaney was, like us, a young and deeply impressionable moviegoer in the year of our Lord 1982, when the Spielberg double-tap of "E.T." and "Poltergeist" lit up our dreams and haunted our nightmares. We talk all about both of those movies, as well as the sex comedies, sci-fi bummers, and romantic comedies that made '82 feel like, really and truly, the first year of '80s moviemaking. (Sponsored by MUBI).  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We've never attempted a two-guest show before, but we think you'll agree that it was kind of essential here, since legendary film critic and historian Stephen Farber and former theatre executive and CARA member Michael McClellan collaborated on a perfect book for our purposes: “Cinema ’62: The Greatest Year at the Movies,” in which they write all about why 1962 was a peak year for film, with a high standard of quality that has not been equaled since. They join us to make their case, which includes literary adaptations, cult classics, and lots of juicy roles for women. (Sponsored by MUBI.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pop culture expert, Substacker extraordinaire, and fellow flyover country escapee Hunter Harris joins Jason and Mike to talk about the Year of our Lord 2004, in which Marty and Leo re-teamed, Julia Roberts said some really dirty words, and Tom Cruise chastised Jamie Foxx for being a bad son. Sponsored by MUBI. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’ve welcomed critics, authors, actors, directors, and on and on—but this week, we welcome our very first production designer, and Judy Becker is one of the greats. Her credits include “Carol,” "I’m Not There,” “Brokeback Mountain,” “We Need to Talk About Kevin,” “Silver Linings Playbook,” and “American Hustle,” for which she was nominated for the Academy Award. (She’s also the latest subject of the “Filmcraft” series at the Metrograph Theater here in New York City, beginning on June 3rd.) She picked one of the all-time great years, 1972, and walks us through it with the eye of not only a film lover but a film craftsperson. Sponsored by MUBI.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alexandre O. Philippe has funneled his life-long cinematic obsessions into movies of his own, directing such documentary treats as “78/52: Hitchcock’s Shower Scene,” “Memory: The Origins of Alien,” “Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on the Exorcist,” and the new “Lynch/Oz” (out Friday 6/2). He made an entire movie about “Psycho,” so it’s not toooo surprising that he picked 1960 - but his picks also showcase the wide, eclectic variety of that year’s cinema.Sponsored by MUBI. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're now on Substack, and you can get more of the show for just a few bucks a month. Let's talk about it! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We welcome Film Twitter's favorite crime novelist, the Edgar Award-winning, New York Times-bestselling Megan Abbott, author of the new and spectacular "Beware the Woman." She joins us to walk through her favorite year of classic cinema: 1933, the end of the Pre-Code era, when women could be bad and men could be horny and movies could kinda-sorta reflect contemporary life candidly, for the last time for a long time.Sponsored by MUBI. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kristen Meinzer was already a movie podcaster during her very good year, 2011 - when she noticed a trend of women behaving badly in mainstream movies that still makes her happy. The feisty co-host host of "Movie Therapy with Rafer & Kristen" and "By the Book" (and contributor to NPR's "Pop Culture Happy Hour") also offers up alternate takes on some of Jason's 2011 favorites, and joins us for our usual eye-rolling at the year's Oscar winners. Sponsored by MUBI. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Jason was at SXSW, you didn't think we’d still be running episodes from that trip two months later, did you? Well, while he was there, he stopped by the University of Austin to chat with our pal Sergio Muñoz, who is a grad student in Film Production there; he’s also the host of the 300-plus episode strong “Esta-Okay” film podcast, where he reviews new releases and film festivals, AND he's an award winning filmmaker to boot. Join us as we talk about 1996, when we were in college and he was NOT EVEN BORN YET.Sponsored by MUBI. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stephanie Zacharek - film critic for TIME magazine and Pulitzer Prize finalist - has always loved the movies of the 1940s. But 1946 is particularly special to her, because of the potent complexity of theme and emotion in these post-war pictures - and because of one film in particular, which pulls off the very rare A VERY GOOD YEAR hat-trick. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

John Pierson wrote the definitive book about '90s independent cinema, "Spike, Mike, Slackers, & Dykes," and he wrote it from the inside - he was the producer's rep who made the deals that put such legendary pictures as "She's Gotta Have It," "Roger & Me," "Slacker," and "Clerks" on your screens. He brings that insider's perspective to our conversation about the year 1989, a crucial tipping point in the indie scene's move to the mainstream.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Karina Longworth basically invented the film history podcast with her meticulously researched and ridiculously entertaining “You Must Remember This” (if you heard our “Fun City Cinema” show, you can tell we’re fans). She just kicked off her new season, “Erotic ‘90s,” so she was kind enough to pay us a visit and talk about her favorite year of that decade, 1993, and her favorite films of it, erotic and non. All that, plus Jason discovering he and Karina had very similar tween years! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our first (but not last!) Pulitzer Prize finalist guest, Soraya Nadia McDonald brings her experience in multiple fields - sportswriting, theatre criticism, television, AND film - to her rundown of her favorite movies of 1978, a mixture of films she grew up adoring and discovered as a budding cinephile. Plus: A headlines segment full of tragedies, from Jonestown to ‘The Star Wars Holiday Special.’ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're back with another episode (recorded) live from SXSW in Austin, Texas, where Brian Tallerico - managing editor of RogerEbert.com, president of the Chicago Film Critics Association, and film-and-TV-critic-at-large - talks to us about the magical year of 1991. He was a wide-eyed 16-year-old moviegoer that year, and his favorites of the year (some of which you'll guess, some of which may surprise you) greatly informed his thinking on genre, authorial voice, and film theory. Plus, find out why he wore an armband to school for part of the year! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Raquel Stecher has spent most of her career writing about classic movies, so it doesn't come as a shock that she's dipped back into the 1940s for her very good year - 1949, to be precise, the year that marked the beginning of the end for the studio system. It was also the golden age of film noir, so her top five is bursting with examples and variations on the genre (as well as a VERY non-noir turn by one of its icons).  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

April Wright is our favorite kind of documentary filmmaker, because she makes movies about movies. Her latest, “Back to the Drive-In” (out now!) looks at drive-in exhibition in the COVID era - and she picked 1980, a year of great drive-in movies (and movies in general). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Film critic and author Charles Bramesco had to look at movies in a new and different way while researching and writing his new book, "Colors of Film: The Story of Cinema in 50 Palettes" (out this week) which examines filmmaking through the prism of color. And one of his favorite eras, for that book and as a film lover in general, is the 1970s - so he selected 1971, a year in which the movies were smart, daring, experimental, and (at least in his top five) extremely horny. Plus, hear about the best single release week of the year (maybe the decade), when two all-timers hit theaters one day apart! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There are allllllll sorts of ‘80s classics that hit theaters in the year 1985, but our guest (and friend) W. Axel Foley of the DVR Podcast Network went in some WILD directions for his top five of the year, plucking out some less-discussed documentaries, sci-fi, and more. Plus, Axel is roughly the same age as Jason and Mike, so hear all about how this year’s headlines deeply traumatized us all! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Filmmaker and actress Isabel Sandoval (“Señorita,” “Aparisyon,” "Lingua Franca”) went to a rather non-traditional film school: the pirated DVD stores of Philippines flea markets. It was there that she discovered the auteurs of the 1970s, the giants of American and world cinema who made that era what it was, and she chose the year 1974 - perhaps the MOST 1970s year of the 1970s. Listen in for our thoughts on Akerman, Passolini, Coppola, Polanski, and Richard Nixon, who was shown the door during this very eventful year.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.