InSession Film Podcast

On this episode, Shadan is joined by our own Maxance Vincent to discuss this year's Cannes lineup! The festival will see new films from the likes of Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Pedro Almodóvar, Pawel Pawlikowski, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Marie Kreutzer, Ia Sachs, Na Hong-Jin, Asghar Farhadi and many more! We are about to feast with this year's Cannes Film Festival. Visit https://insessionfilm.com/store for merch and more! Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe! Become an ISF VIp today to get exclusive bonus content! Follow us on X/Twitter! @InSessionFilm | @ShadanLarki

On this episode, Megan and Shadan discuss the latest film from Kristoffer Borgli in THE DRAMA! Oh boy, there is a lot to discuss with this one given its titular drama and some of the ideas it wants to explore. Some of it's interesting. Much of it is a mixed bag. Either way, the film does provoke some captivating conversation. Visit https://insessionfilm.com for merch and more! Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe! Become an ISF VIP today to get exclusive bonus content! Follow us on X/Twitter! @InSessionFilm | @RealJDDuran | @BrendanJCassidy

On this episode, Megan is joined by Shaurya Chawla to discuss the new animated film from Illumination in THE SUPER MARIO GALAXY MOVIE! The movie has been getting panned by critics, and understandably so given its approach to the material, but there are some good things in the film as well. *NOTE: We had some technical difficulties with the video, so for this review it will be audio only. Visit https://insessionfilm.com for merch and more! Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe! Become an ISF VIP today to get exclusive bonus content! Follow us on X/Twitter! @InSessionFilm | @RealJDDuran | @BrendanJCassidy

On this episode, inspired by the success of PROJECT HAIL MARY and the historic launch of Artemis II, we thought it would be really fun to do a March Madness-style bracket discussing the best space movies of all-time! 32 movies. Only one winner. This was a lot of fun, even if some of these matchups were incredibly challenging. What do you think of our bracket? Do you agree with our winner? - Bracket Criteria (3:05) - 1st Round (16:50) - Sweet 16 (1:35:24) - Elite 8 (1:39:38) - Final Four & Championship (1:43:47) Visit insessionfilm.dashery.com to support the show with InSession Film merch! Episode sponsor: koffeekult.com - Get 15% OFF with the code: ISF26 Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe! Become an ISF VIP today to get exclusive bonus content! Follow us on Twitter! @InSessionFilm | @RealJDDuran | @BrendanJCassidy

On this episode, we discuss Halina Reijn's erotic thriller BABYGIRL and why it's such a captivating depiction of sex and womanhood! Reijn has openly talked about how the film is meant to explore the gap between men and women sexually, and breaking the stigma's that are often associated kinks and specific desires. It goes without saying, but we had the best time with this one. Panel: Megan Kearns, Jaylan Salah, Amy Thomasson Visit insessionfilm.com for merch and more! Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe on your podcast app of choice! insessionfilm.com/subscribe

On this episode, Shadan is joined by Sari Cohen to discuss this year's SXSW Film Festival and the movies that stood out to us the most! There were some great docs, some memorable horror films and a few notable films that could make its way into awards season by year's end. Visit https://insessionfilm.com/store for merch and more! Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe! Become an ISF VIP today to get exclusive bonus content! Follow us on X/Twitter! @InSessionFilm | @ShadanLarki

On this episode, JD and Brendan discuss BenDavid Grabinski's new time travel comedy MIKE & NICK & NICK & ALICE! It might not be reaching for genius comedic heights, but it's arguably quite effective at what it's trying to be. We do have a bit of debate on this one though. Visit https://insessionfilm.com for merch and more! Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe! Become an ISF VIP today to get exclusive bonus content! Follow us on X/Twitter! @InSessionFilm | @RealJDDuran | @BrendanJCassidy

On this episode, JD and Brendan discuss the Matt Johnson / Jay McCarrol mockumentary time travel film NIRVANNA THE BAND THE SHOWO THE MOVIE! Talk about movie surprises, we absolutely loved this despite having no connection to the web series or the show. It takes guerilla filmmaking to a new level and is immensely successful in creating one of the year's funniest films. Visit https://insessionfilm.com for merch and more! Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe! Become an ISF VIP today to get exclusive bonus content! Follow us on X/Twitter! @InSessionFilm | @RealJDDuran | @BrendanJCassidy

On this episode, inspired by THE SUPER MARIO GALAXY MOVIE hitting theaters this weekend, we do a consensus ranking of animated sequels! There are have been plenty of animated sequels over the years, some tremendously great, others not so much, so this ended up being quite the conversation. We also talk more about PROJECT HAIL MARY, dig into the Stephen Colbert LORD OF THE RINGS SPIN-OFF and talk about the atrocity that is the MOANA live-action trailer. - Project Hail Mary (1:46) - Lord of the Rings Spin-Off (19:47) - Moana / The End of Oak Street Trailers (37:13) - Animated Sequel Ranking (1:05:33) Visit insessionfilm.dashery.com to support the show with InSession Film merch! Episode sponsor: koffeekult.com - Get 15% OFF with the code: ISF26 Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe! Become an ISF VIP today to get exclusive bonus content! Follow us on Twitter! @InSessionFilm | @RealJDDuran | @BrendanJCassidy

On this episode, we discuss our favorite(?) traumatic Disney films and the bold qualities that the studio use to employ in their work! We all remember the feeling of Dumbo and Bambi's mothers, the donkey's in Pinocchio and so many more memorable scenes in the Disney canon. We discuss why these sequences carry weight and what makes them special. Panel: Kristin Battestella, Megan Kearns Visit insessionfilm.com for merch and more! Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe on your podcast app of choice! insessionfilm.com/subscribe

On this episode, Shadan is joined by Brandon Lewis as we have a postmortem on this year's Oscar season! What are the lessons to take away from the season? What is the state of the industry following the Academy Awards? We have some questions to address as far how the season played out and why it might be a shifting of the tide as we move forward. Visit https://insessionfilm.com/store for merch and more! Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe! Become an ISF VIP today to get exclusive bonus content! Follow us on X/Twitter! @InSessionFilm | @ShadanLarki

On this episode, JD and Brendan discuss the new film from the German filmmaker Christian Petzold MIROIRS NO. 3! We are huge fans of Petzold, and that alone intrigued us, but he's back once again with his latest muse Paula Beer. As you could probably guess, MIROIRS NO. 3 has all of the usual Petzold trademarks and great performances, so we had a lot of fun with this one. Visit https://insessionfilm.com for merch and more! Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe! Become an ISF VIP today to get exclusive bonus content! Follow us on X/Twitter! @InSessionFilm | @RealJDDuran | @BrendanJCassidy

On this episode, JD and Megan are joined by Ben Miller to discuss Phil Lord and Chris Miller's latest film PROJECT HAIL MARY! The film has opened to incredible reviews and a stellar box office, and while we mostly indulge with high praise, we do offer a few thoughtful questions about the film. Ryan Gosling is incredible and how can you not love Rocky? Visit https://insessionfilm.com for merch and more! Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe! Become an ISF VIP today to get exclusive bonus content! Follow us on X/Twitter! @InSessionFilm | @RealJDDuran | @BrendanJCassidy

On this episode, inspired by Kevin Jacobsen's captivating series of prompts where he asked who you would vote for if the last five Oscar winners (in any particular category) were up against each other, we thought we would do the same but for our InSession Film Awards winners! So it turned into a fun retrospective on our awards winners over the last six years, many of which we still love, but as you may expect, some of our winners may have changed if we had a re-do. We also talk about the incredible box office opening for PROJECT HAIL MARY and we talk about the new trailers for DUNE: PART 3 and SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY! Opening / JD's Approach To Horror (1:14) - Project Hail Mary Box Office (12:43) - Dune and Spider-Man Trailers (23:01) - ISF Awards (52:15) Visit insessionfilm.dashery.com to support the show with InSession Film merch! Episode sponsor: koffeekult.com - Get 15% OFF with the code: ISF26 Episode sponsor: NordVPN - Get 3 months FREE by clicking here: https://go.nordvpn.net/aff_c?offer_id=15&aff_id=114779 Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe! Become an ISF today to get exclusive bonus content! Follow us on Twitter! @InSessionFilm | @RealJDDuran | @BrendanJCassidy

On this episode, Shadan is joined by Christina Jeurling Birro to discuss the 98th Academy Awards and everything that this year's Oscars had to offer! It was quite an extraordinary awards season that was capped off with a pretty good ceremony (despite a few bumps) and some great winners. Visit https://insessionfilm.com/store for merch and more! Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe! Become a Member today to get exclusive bonus content! Follow us on X/Twitter! @InSessionFilm | @ShadanLarki

On this episode, Brendan and Megan break down the A24 horror film UNDERTONE! There's been a lot of talk about the film's terrifying sound design, and how it gets under your skin in a unique and effective way. But also, there's equally been some fascination conversation over its themes and bizarre twists. Visit https://insessionfilm.com for merch and more! Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe! Become an ISF VIP today to get exclusive bonus content! Follow us on X/Twitter! @InSessionFilm | @RealJDDuran | @BrendanJCassidy

On this episode, JD is joined by Joey Gentile to discuss the 98th Academy Awards! The ceremony itself was really great, there were a few surprises and overall lots to celebrate with SINNERS and ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER combining for 10 Oscars on the night! - 98th Academy Awards (6:15) Visit insessionfilm.dashery.com to support the show with InSession Film merch! Episode sponsor: koffeekult.com - Get 15% OFF with the code: ISF26 Episode sponsor: libsyn.com - Get 2 months FREE with the code: ISF Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe! Become an ISF VIP today to get exclusive bonus content! Follow us on Twitter! @InSessionFilm | @RealJDDuran | @BrendanJCassidy

On this episode, we discuss the great Guillermo del Toro and his recent work, including FRANKENSTEIN, CRIMSON PEAK and THE SHAPE OF WATER! Panel: Kristin Battestella, Megan Kearns Visit insessionfilm.com for merch and more! Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe on your podcast app of choice! insessionfilm.com/subscribe

On this episode, JD and Megan break down Maggie Gyllenhaal's latest film THE BRIDE! The conversation around the film has been understandably polarized, but we are grateful for the ambitious swings the film takes. The setup to the film is kind of wild, some of it makes no sense at all, and yet we had a bunch of fun with it. Visit https://insessionfilm.com for merch and more! Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe! Become an ISF VIP today to get exclusive bonus content! Follow us on X/Twitter! @InSessionFilm | @RealJDDuran | @BrendanJCassidy

On this episode, JD and Brendan discuss Pixar's latest film HOPPERS! Pixar last decade or so has been all over the place in terms of quality and audience reception, but this seems to be one of Pixar's better efforts of late. But there is one key element that we debate quite heavily in this conversation. Visit https://insessionfilm.com for merch and more! Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe! Become an ISF VIP today to get exclusive bonus content! Follow us on X/Twitter! @InSessionFilm | @RealJDDuran | @BrendanJCassidy

On this episode, Shadan is joined by Mark Johnson to discuss their final predictions to the 98th Academy Awards happening this weekend! We've been debating and dissecting awards season for months now, and it's finally here. The Oscars are upon us and it's time to make our final predictions! Visit https://insessionfilm.com/store for merch and more! Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe! Become an ISF VIP today to get exclusive bonus content! Follow us on X/Twitter! @InSessionFilm | @ShadanLarki

On this episode, with the 98th Academy Awards taking place this weekend, we talked about the top 5 things we want to see at this year's Oscars! Whether it be the awards themselves, the ceremony or anything in-between, we discuss our hopes and what could make the Oscars memorable. We also delve into our Pixar Draft results from last week, and dive into the box office numbers for both HOPPERS and Maggie Gyllenhaal's THE BRIDE! As we do, there's also some conversation around Pixar itself and the discourse around THE BRIDE! and why Warner Bros.' gamble was worth it. - Pixar Draft Results (2:15) - Hoppers Box Office / Pixar Talk (6:01) - The Bride! Box Office & Discourse (32:43) - 2026 Oscars Wishlist (47:02) Visit insessionfilm.dashery.com to support the show with InSession Film merch! Episode sponsor: koffeekult.com - Get 15% OFF with the code: ISF26 Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe! Become an ISF VIP today to get exclusive bonus content! Follow us on Twitter! @InSessionFilm | @RealJDDuran | @BrendanJCassidy

On this episode, we discuss the Richard Attenborough musical film adaptation of A CHORUS LINE! It's been a divisive movie throughout the years, and maybe it doesn't all work as a movie, but there's plenty to it as an adaptation that is quite compelling. Panel: Kristin Battestella, Amy Thomasson Visit insessionfilm.com for merch and more! Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe on your podcast app of choice! insessionfilm.com/subscribe

In this episode, Shadan is joined by Gerald of The Awards Garage to discuss this year's Actor Awards! We saw some big surprises and have three acting categories that are completely up in the air now. It also means Best Picture is a big race as well going into the Oscars. Visit https://insessionfilm.com/store for merch and more! Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe! Become an ISF VIP today to get exclusive bonus content! Follow us on X/Twitter! @InSessionFilm | @ShadanLarki

On this episode, JD and Brendan dive into Zak HIlditch's new(ish) zombie film WE BURY THE DEAD, starring an incredible Daisy Ridley! We're a little late to the party here, but the premise here is quite fascinating and the film uses a buffet of zombie lore to establish something unique. Visit https://insessionfilm.com for merch and more! Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe! Become an ISF VIP today to get exclusive bonus content! Follow us on X/Twitter! @InSessionFilm | @RealJDDuran | @BrendanJCassidy

This week on the InSession Film Podcast, inspired by HOPPERS jumping into theaters this weekend, we did our Pixar Movie Draft! Pixar's top-end filmography is about as good as it gets, with some of the very best animated movies ever made. This was a competitive and very fun conversation. We also talk about Paramount buying Warner Bros. and why we think it's a very bad move for the industry. And with the Actor Awards happening over the weekend, we wanted to give some thoughts on the current Oscars race. - No Scream 7 (2:52) - Paramount / Warner Bros. (9:18) - Oscars Race (44:20) - Pixar Draft (1:13:14) Visit insessionfilm.dashery.com to support the show with InSession Film merch! Episode sponsor: 28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE - Follow us on social media for your chance to win a FREE digital code! Episode sponsor: THE RUNNING MAN - Follow us on social media for your chance to win a FREE Blu-ray! Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe! Become an ISF VIP today to get exclusive bonus content! Follow us on Twitter! @InSessionFilm | @RealJDDuran | @BrendanJCassidy

On this episode, we discuss some of our favorite vampire movies and why it's one of the best subgenre's in horror! From NOSFERATU to DRACULA to SINNERS, there are so many great vampire movies that not only make for great thrills, but often it's full of incredible queer subtext and eroticism that make them even more captivating. Panel: Kristin Battestella, Megan Kearns Visit insessionfilm.com for merch and more! Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe on your podcast app of choice! insessionfilm.com/subscribe

In this episode, Shadan is joined by Zak Ahmed and Robin Write to break down this year's BAFTA awards and the stirring discourse that sprouted in the ceremony's aftermath! There is plenty to talk about regarding the winners and how many categories feel even more up in the air now, but we of course had to also address the show's controversy as well. Visit https://insessionfilm.com/store for merch and more! Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe! Become an ISF VIP today to get exclusive bonus content! Follow us on X/Twitter! @InSessionFilm | @ShadanLarki

This week on the InSession Film Podcast, inspired by SCREAM 7 hitting theaters this weekend, we discuss our favorite horror movie kills! The horror genre is full of all kinds of death and carnage, featuring some of the most gnarly thrills that cinema has to offer, and we thought it would be fun to parse though the best sequences that define horror film. JD also opens the show by talking about the Olympics, USA Hockey, Miracle and some of the fallout from the Gold Medal game. Plus, we update our Gore Verbinski ranking from a few week's ago. - Olympics / Hockey / Miracle (0:59) - Gore Verbinski / Pirates Trilogy (35:10) - Top 5 Horror Movie Kills (59:11) Visit insessionfilm.dashery.com to support the show with InSession Film merch! Visit episode sponsor: koffeekult.com - Get 15% OFF with the code: ISF26 Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe! Become an ISF VIP today to get exclusive bonus content! Follow us on Twitter! @InSessionFilm | @RealJDDuran | @BrendanJCassidy

On this episode, JD and Erica discuss Michael Mann, oh I'm sorry, I mean Bart Layton's new film CRIME 101! Starring Chris Hemsworth and Mark Ruffalo, Layton deeply leans into his inner Mann to deliver a captivating crime thriller. Visit https://insessionfilm.com for merch and more! Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe! Become an ISF VIP today to get exclusive bonus content! Follow us on X/Twitter! @InSessionFilm | @RealJDDuran | @BrendanJCassidy

On this episode, we discuss our favorite live-action Disney films! Understandably most might think of their animated canon first, but Disney has a surprisingly great variety of live-action films that we love just as much and we had a great time parsing through the films that resonate the most with us. Panel: Megan Kearns, Zita Short Visit insessionfilm.com for merch and more! Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe on your podcast app of choice! insessionfilm.com/subscribe

In this episode, Shadan is joined by Doug Jamieson to discuss their final predictions to the 2026 BAFTA's! Are all the major categories locked up? Could HAMNET surprise with these awards being on their home turf? We talk about all this and more with our winner predictions. We also spend a few moments discussing last weekend's Indie Spirit Award winners! Where to watch every Oscar nominee: https://insessionfilm.com/chasing-the-gold-how-to-watch-almost-every-2026-oscar-nominee/ Visit https://insessionfilm.com for merch and more! Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe! Become an ISF VIP today to get exclusive bonus content! Follow us on X/Twitter! @InSessionFilm | @ShadanLarki