Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Contending at the Water Cooler

Megan caught up to Jon M. Chu’s Wicked, and she loved it. After she raves about Cynthia Erivo’s performances, we break down what works (Those performances! Those musical numbers!), what doesn’t (Wome of the camerawork), and what will likely break through at the 2025 Oscars. Will Wicked star Cynthia Erivo knock out a Best Actress contender? Then, […]

The post Podcast: What Is This Feeling? Are ‘Wicked,’ Erivo, & Grande Oscar-Bound? appeared first on The Contending.

When approaching his writing projects, Oscar-nominated and BAFTA-winning screenwriter Peter Straughan (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) looks for a personal connection to the material. It’s that connection that gives his best work that extra spark, and he often finds it when the projects deal with themes of loyalty and betrayal. Those themes existed at the heart […]

The post ‘Conclave’ Screenwriter Peter Straughan Adapts Robert Harris’s Novel To Explore the Secret World Of Papal Elections appeared first on The Contending.

We’ve all seen Gladiator II and have definite opinions on some hot topics, including Denzel Washington, flooding the Colloseum, Paul Mescal, and properly channeling rage. We break down our feelings on Ridley Scott’s latest film and try to figure out where it stands within the Oscar race after good box office but middling critic and audience reviews. […]

The post Podcast: ‘Gladiator II,’ Paul Mescal, and the Evolving Oscar Race appeared first on The Contending.

Eight time Oscar-winning composer and EGOT recipient Alan Menken created some of the greatest film scores in cinematic history. Any composer would be thrilled to have only created the scores to Disney’s animation renaissance unofficial trilogy of The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin. But he did not stop there. His scores range from […]

The post ‘Spellbound’ Composer Alan Menkin, Lyricist Glenn Slater Leverage International Influences For Updated Take On Princess Lore appeared first on The Contending.

We dive into two major 2025 Oscar contenders: A24’s Anora and Searchlight’s A Real Pain. We review each title and break down key moments of the films. Fair warning: our Anora conversation has a few spoilers, but we give you fair warning before ruining a few key moments of the film. Then, our A Real Pain conversation […]

The post Podcast: ‘Anora,’ ‘A Real Pain,’ and the Elusive Fifth Best Actor Slot appeared first on The Contending.

Jason Reitman’s Saturday Night is a love letter to the counterculture minds that formed one of the longest running television series in history, Saturday Night Live. Reitman creates a deliberately, lovingly chaotic atmosphere packed with visual gags, nostalgic references, sounds, and iconic music that all collaborates to orient the audience in a very specific place and […]

The post ‘Saturday Night’ Music Editor Chris Newlin On How the Music Becomes a Character In the Film appeared first on The Contending.

With film festival season behind us, we wanted to sit back and catch up to some notable titles we’ve loved over the past few weeks. Case in point, Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut, Woman Of the Hour, is an astoundingly accomplished breakthrough from the actress. She frames the story of the serial killer who appeared on The […]

The post Podcast: Breaking Down Anna Kendrick’s ‘Woman Of the Hour’ With a Special Guest appeared first on The Contending.

Megan returns from the SCAD Savannah Film Festival fresh with new takes on film, actors, and everything in between. One of the titles she loved at the festival was Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Pérez, so the team discusses that film in a spoiler-free conversation and assess its Oscar chances as well as the Oscar chances of […]

The post Podcast: How ‘Emilia Pérez’ and the SCAD Savannah Film Festival Impact the Oscar Race appeared first on The Contending.

Marching ever forward ‘neath the wooded shrine I stray not from the path. I hold death’s hand in mine. Disney+’s Marvel Television series Agatha All Along wrapped this week with a 2-episode series finale that brought the series to an emotionally satisfying climax. While initially uneven tonally, Agatha eventually settled into an entertaining and compelling narrative. The […]

The post ‘Agatha All Along’ Production Designer John Collins Marches Down, Down, Down His Brilliantly Designed Road [Podcast] appeared first on The Contending.

Megan is off to cover the SCAD Savannah Film Festival, leaving Joey and Clarence to share their favorite “get in the spooky spirit” Halloween media. Then, Joey breaks down the X / Twitter meme culture around (largely) gay Halloween costumes — “What Do You Mean You’re…” Finally, Joey makes a special announcement about a December […]

The post Podcast: What Do Mean You’re the Visual Representation Of Our Halloween Podcast? appeared first on The Contending.

Mark Johnson returns to wrap our coverage of the Middleburg Film Festival and to talk about changes to our Oscar predictions following festival screenings. Then, Megan previews her coverage of the SCAD Savannah Film Festival. We close our podcast, as always, with the Flash Forward to the media we’re most anticipating in the upcoming week. […]

The post Podcast: Wrapping Middleburg, Previewing SCAD Savannah Film Festival, Impacts on Oscar appeared first on The Contending.

Mark Johnson makes his Contending at the Water Cooler podcast debut in a conversation with Joey and Clarence about the first two days of the Middleburg Film Festival. In conversation are Blitz, The Brutalist, The Piano Lesson, Memoir of a Snail, September 5, and Emilia Pérez. It’s always a great time at Middleburg! Join us next […]

The post Podcast: Reviewing Big Titles Out of Middleburg Film Festival’s First Two Days appeared first on The Contending.

This week, Megan takes a break to prepare for her coverage of the upcoming SCAD Savannah Film Festival, leaving Joey and Clarence to preview their coverage of this weekend’s Middleburg Film Festival. Check back at The Contending over the weekend for the latest in our coverage. We close our podcast, as always, with the Flash […]

The post Podcast: Previewing This Weekend’s Middleburg Film Festival appeared first on The Contending.

Writer-director Sean Baker broke onto the filmmaking scene in 2000 with his debut feature Four Letter Words, but it was his one-two punch of universally acclaimed films Tangerine and The Florida Project that caused critics and audiences to stand at attention. When Oscar called for Willem Dafoe’s Supporting Actor nomination for The Florida Project, it opened the Academy’s eyes […]

The post Podcast: ‘Anora’ Writer-Director Sean Baker On Ani’s Potential Happy Ending appeared first on The Contending.

Are you a fan of romantic comedies? Do we need more of them on television? For this week’s episode, Megan and Joey (where’d you go, Clarence?!) sit down at the Water Cooler to gab about the majesty and the delight of Erin Foster’s hit comedy series, Nobody Wants This. Megan swoons over Adam Brody and […]

The post Podcast: ‘Nobody Wants This’? More Like EVERYBODY Wants This! appeared first on The Contending.

This week, we’re breaking down our complicated reactions to two wildly different films and a television show. All three of us have seen Demi Moore in The Substance, so it’s finally time to break down those wild plot twists and turns. And that ending… Then, Joey and Clarence bring Megan up to speed on the […]

The post Podcast: Going Deep Into ‘The Substance,’ ‘Megalopolis,’ and More appeared first on The Contending.

Joey recently dove into the 2025 Oscars Best Actress race, which he called “Another Best Actress Bloodbath.” He brings that analysis to Contending at the Water Cooler along with a first time guest to the podcast: The Contending staff writer Frank J. Avella. We all dive into the bloodbath, figure out who are the nomination […]

The post Podcast: Bathing In the Best Actress Bloodbath With Staff Writer Frank J. Avella appeared first on The Contending.

As is the tradition at the Water Cooler, Team Contending gathers in full (minus Frank J. Avella) to break down the winners, the losers, and the overall production of last night’s 76th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. Instead of the media we’re most anticipating, we put series and performances in our Emmy Time Capsule to open […]

The post Podcast: Team Contending Gathers To Review / Argue About the 76th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards appeared first on The Contending.

This weekend’s Creative Arts Emmy Awards saw FX’s Shōgun receive a record number of wins for a series in a single year. So does that mean the series will dominate the Drama categories on Sunday night’s Primetime Emmy ceremony? Does Hacks‘ shut-out this past weekend mean it will receive similar treatment at the hands of The Bear? […]

The post Podcast: What Do the Creative Arts Emmys Tell Us About Next Weekend’s Primetime Emmy Awards? appeared first on The Contending.

It’s only Joey and Clarence at the Water Cooler this week as Megan’s taking the weekend off. Clarence reviews his experience at this year’s fantastic Telluride Film Festival. Joey launches from there to preview his upcoming travel to the Toronto International Film Festival. What movies overlap? What new movies will Joey cover for The Contending […]

The post Podcast: Recapping the Telluride Film Festival, Previewing the Toronto International Film Festival appeared first on The Contending.