The world of film fandom erupted into a small controversy recently when Criterion announced they'd be releasing a 40th anniversary boxset with 40 movies they selected. That got Jason, Bryant and Michelle talking: What would they include in their 40 movies in their boxset?

So the group decided to get together and debate their selections, and slowly but surely build a collection which we believe is pretty dang interesting.

Hear the results in the longest - but we think most fun - episode of Jason and the Movienauts episode so far!

Blaize is back with Jason to continue their look at the films of Paul Schrader, this time with perhaps Schrader's oddest career killing move.

In 2014 Schrader was contracted to deliver a "geezer teaser" action thriller with Nicolas Cage called Dying of the Light. But the film was taken away from Schrader and edited without his consent. So Schrader created his own take on Dying and posted it to torrent sites as Dark.

Are either of these films any good, or is this another example of the eternal oddball Schrader sabotaging his old career. Can the old man learn new tricks?

Answer: well, it's complicated!

Eric and Jason are back talking about the films of Masahiro Shinoda, this time discussing three films with bizarre emotional triangles of a sort: Our Marriage, Gonza the Spearman and The Petrified Forest.

The guys are surprised how emotionally satisfying Our Marriage is despite its brief 66-minute running length. The film captures a specific moment in Japanese history with a brilliant sort of all-encompassing eye... hopefully a listen to this pod will convince you to check out this vastly under-known film.

Which is not to say that Gonza and Forest are not excellent films. As Eric and Jason explore, they both are satisying in that particular sort of massive dark way Shinoda often delivers. Each is a fascinating, deep insight into human nature and well worth a listen and a watch.

Spider-Man and his amazing friends travel to Europe in the latest installment of the Spider-Man Sony/Marvel franchise. But does any of the plot make sense, and do people actually act in ways that any human would actually act? I guess you can tell from the episode title that Jason and Carlos didn't like the seemingly endless waves of dumbness included in this movie. Bummer!

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It doesn't get much better than watching one of the greatest actors in the world in two of his greatest films, so Keith and Jason loved chatting The Last Detail and Chinatown. Both movies don't just include brilliant performances by Nicholson and his supporting cast (especially the astonishing performance of Faye Dunaway in Chinatown) but also clockwork scripts by the great Robert Towne.

Join the guys as they explore what makes these movies great and why you really need to put Chinatown and The Last Detail on your watchlist..

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Carlos and Jason went into Avengers: Endgame with a sense of dread. The movie is very long, very embedded in MCU continuity, and very tangled. But you'll hear their surprise in this episode when they decide that Endgame was just about the right length, with some good character details and compelling endings to MCU subplots. Somehow, some way, this actually is a pretty good movie which has enough human moments to punctuate its tremendously long length.

Please tune in to listen to the guys discuss this movie, and if you enjoyed the chat please subscribe and leave feedback on iTunes!

Akira Kurosawa is obviously one of the greatest filmmakers in history, but Jason hadn't seen many of the master's films. That begins to change this week as his friends Dominick Grace and Eric Hoffman join Jason for the first of a multi-part series exploring Kurosawa's classic. This week they discuss Ran and Throne of Blood, two loose Shakespeare adaptations moved to Japan. Ran is famously one of the most beautiful and bleakest films ever made, while Throne of Blood has one of the most famous endings in film history.

Whether you're a Kurosawa expert or still learning your way, we think this episode will give you a lot to think about. 

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Chris has been a fan of David Lynch films for a long time, but Jason is a relative newbie. So that made their first watch of Eraserhead a real treat for both of them. Spoilers: they both loved it, and they discuss that appeciation in this very interesting hour-long chat we hope you will enjoy.

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Carlos is back to chat about Marvel movies with Jason, and the next one on their list is Ant-Man and the Wasp. They both entered this watch with... well, medium hopes anyway for something fun and entertaining. Well, yeah, the movie is pretty fun but it's also lacking some real basics with logic and common sense. So join us and listen to the guys trash this movie, then you can skip it on your Marvel movie rewatch!

It's finally happened. Jason and Carlos have arrived at Avengers: Infinity War in their Marvel movie watch. One of the longest, and absolutely the biggest downer of a Marvel movie, the guys ponder if this movie transcends its sadness with good character moments or if it is finally just too depressing to really enjoy.

For the first time, I have two guests on Jason and the Movienauts as Paul McCoy and Shawn Hill join Jason to discuss their (relatively easy) thoughts on the 2021 Denis Villeneuve version of Dune and their (much more conflicted) thoughts on the David Lynch version of Dune. This is one of the most fun podcasts I've ever recorded, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on it!

Nicolas Roeg was one of the most idiosyncratic filmmakers of his generation. Today Jason and Keith look at Roeg's whole career with an emphasis on perhaps his two most popular - and still challenging films, Don't Look Now and The Man Who Fell to Earth. And they have a lot to say about the movies, with a full 90 minutes of fascinating discussion on what it means to be haunted, the existential pain of being an alien, and the horrors of gun sex. Please tune in, and subscribe!

Jason and Carlos loved Thor Ragnarok when they first saw it, but was it indeed the best Marvel movie, as many critics have said? The guys explore that question, looking in detail at the complex world director Taika Waititi creates in this movie, a world much more complex than it seems to have on a first watch. Is it the best Marvel movie? Jason and Carlos answer that here. It's 42 minutes of some very interesting back-and-forth we think you'll enjoy.

Blaize and Jason are now getting towards the later section of Paul Schrader's complex career. This time they get to a couple of really pretty intriguing films by him.

Dominion: Prequel to The Exorcist is one of those films which has a backstory as compelling as what viewers see up on the screen. Blaize gets into all of the amazing backstory here, exploring how Schrader opted to go back to work for the studios, how his Exorcist prequel was taken away from him, and how that prequel was ultimately released.

Even with all that backstory, Dominion is a complex, fairly interesting film with a surprising amount of depth, and the guys find a lot in the fulm to make it compelling.

The Walker, Blaize and Jason agree, is kind of a lost classic. It features a fantastic performance by Woody Harrelson in an excellent character study that adroitly explores late 00s Washington DC, full of decadence and betrayal and even murder.

Both films are worth searching for and we think you'll enjoy this discussion.

John Carpenter is one of the most influential and beloved directors of the 1980s and 1990s. Jason and Eric have been binging Carpenter films, including Big Trouble in Little China, Halloween and (Jason's favorite) In the Mouth of Madness. The guys chat about the hallmarks of great Carpenter flicks, the perplexing variety of Carpenter's career, and then list their top 5 favorite Carpenter films of all time. It's a slightly longer episode than usual, at around 90 minutes, but we think this is a great listen.

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Dr. Strange is both an oddball entry in the MCU and a completely traditional entry. On one hand, the story takes place in odd dimensions, outside of the world most other heroes experinece, and with a complex and hard-to-grasp cosmology. On the other hand, it's an origin story through and through, a classic kind of Marvel movie.

Carlos and Jason explore the odd contradictions at the heart of this movie and decide it's really a pretty dang good film.

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So Chris Wunderlich told Jason that he wanted to talk about Repo Man on the podcast, and asked Jason for a good companion movie for Repo Man. If the guys were reviewing a punk movie, it only stood to reason they should also talk about a new wave movie, so Jason selected the 1982 Australian film Starstruck. But much as the guys loved Repo Man, they also had problems with Starstruck. Those differences make for a 50 minute podcast of very interesting listening.

Eric Hoffman joins Jason to talk about two amazing neo-noir films, Robert Altman's astounding The Long Goodbye and Wim Wenders's equally brilliant The American Friend. Eric and Jason talk nontraditional narrative, the brilliance of these two directors and some outstanding performances. It's an hour and ten minutes of fascinating listening.

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Spider-Man: Homecoming got extremely good reviews on its release, but Jason is full of complaints about it. Is he just being a contrary aspiring hipster or do his points make sense? Carlos tries to sort out Jason's take on the first Spider-Man movie in the MCU. What do you think of his take?

Chris Wunderlich again joins Jason Sacks to discuss a couple of oddball films. That's Chris's beat for Classic Comics Cavalcade, dontcha know? Today we talk about two classic Canadian oddball films, Guy Maddin's My Winnipeg and François Girard's Thirty Two Short Films About Glen Gould. Chris loves these movies and is delighted that Jason enjoyed both of these films. The guys compare notes about Canadian celebrity, what it means to create an experimental film, and how to capture the fragmented nature of someone's life on film.

It's a great hour-long conversation we think you'll enjoy. If you do enjoy it, please subscribe and leave us good feedback on iTunes!

Keith Silva joins Jason this week to talk about two of the greatest sports movies of all time. Keith loves Slap Shot and infects Jason with his passion - and Jason finds some stealth greatness in the film as well. As for Hoosiers, well, that movie triggers an interesting debate, which we'd love to hear your opinion about. Oh yeah, and Jason sings in this episode. We're sorry.

It's an hour-twenty of great listening we think you'll enjoy. Well, maybe except for the singing.

After loving James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy films (especially Book 2), Jason was really excited to watch Gunn's The Suicide Squad. Carlos was excited, too, but not holding his breath. And after watching this new movie, Carlos and Jason are... kind of conflicted. Kind of happy, laughing along, at the same time they're frustrated by the movie. It's an ambivalent 24 minute conversation that we think is good listening. Please let us know what you think.

This week, Eric Hoffman leads Jason on a discussion of two classic Japanese films directed by the brilliant Kenji Mizoguchi. Sansho the Balliff is a tragic story of a wealthy family separated and the slavery they endure, while Ugetsu tells a very human war story set in the sixteenth century. Eric and Jason chat about the filmmaking style of Mizoguchi and team, their political stance in the post-War period, and the resonances that helped make these essential watches. It's a fascinating hor and fifteen minutes' listen and we hope you enjoy.

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Yeah, Carlos and Jason both spent the 30 bucks to watch Black Widow on Disney+. But they both agree the expense was worth it because they agree the movie is fun, with some clever character moments and people to root for. Way to go Disney/Marvel! Join us for 20 minutes of happy discussion!

Keith and Jason have been wanting to discuss a pair of films for a long time, a pair of films which seem perfectly in dialogue with each other: Jean-Pierre Melville's brilliant Le Samouraï (1967), the story of a lone assassin, and David Fincher's great The Killer (2023), the, umm, story of a lone assassin.

Keith and Jason compare and contrast, considering which protagonist is cooler, the differerence between French and American films, and whether being an assassin for hire is an inherently corrupting job.

Lots to consider in this one!

Long before he became beloved as the director of the Guardians of the Galaxy movies and the forthcoming The Suicide Squad, James Gunn was just another director looking to make his way in Hollywood. Paul McCoy joins Jason to give a rundown on Gunn's history, as well as in-depth reviews of two of James Gunn's previous directoral efforts, the spooky horror film Slither and the bizarre superhero satire Super. Join the guys for an hour and fifteen minutes of interesting and fun conversation about Gunn and his unique creations.

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The Marvelcast, our rewatching of the Marvel movies in chronological order, continues with our watch of Captain America: Civil War. Jason expected to love the movie and only kind of liked it. Carlos, on the other hand, has a hot take -- he thought it was pretty awful. Join us for 20 minutes of honest disappointment, a few laughs, and maybe a few signs of Marvel fatigue...

Carl Smith joins Jason this week to talk about a classic piece of cinema from 1970, Bernardo Bertolucci's The Conformist. It's a gorgeously photographed movie with some vivid characters -- but the lead character is the least vivid of them all. Join them for an hour long chat in which they explore the complex virtues of this deeply complex film.

Next up on the great Marvel movie rewatch is Ant-Man, a movie Carlos had never seen and which Jason barely remembered. Did they like it or hate it, or kinda fall inbetween? (Spoiler: bet in inbetween!) This pod is a 28-minute fun listen, so please listen and enjoy!

Enemy and Under the Silver Lake are two of the oddest films of recent years, but Chris Wunderlich and Jason Sacks were up to the task of trying to make sense of them both. If you've watched them, join us for an hour of us chatting about the films and trying to figure out the puzzles of their deliberately oblique and surreal structures. It's a fun listen and an interesting exploration!

Yeah, so Avengers: the Age of Ultron isn't the greatest Marvel film but it isn't the worst one, either. Join Carlos and Jason as they dive deep into sentient robots, complicated twins and the pointless destruction of a city in this 30 minute chat.

Charlton Heston starred in two science fiction classics in the 1960s and '70s, Planet of the Apes and Soylent Green. Both films are deeply pessimistic about the human spirit and show the excellent actingh chops of Heston. Join Paul Moyer and Jason Sacks as they discuss these two great dystopian films that each have outstanding world-building and a surprising sort of tension.

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The Searchers and Once Upon a Time in the West are two classic westerns that are in dialog with each other. The Searchers is more subtle, a character study of John Wayne. He's utterly laconic in John Ford's classic movie, a man from the "greatest generation" whose emotions are sometimes hard to understand. That contrasts with the operatic feel of Leone's classic film, where closeups mean so much and transformation is slow but true.

Join Eric and Jason for almost 90 minutes of fascinating chat about these great films. 

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Jason and Carlos knew they'd enjoy Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, but they weren't ready for how much they enjoyed it. The ended up recording a 35 minute pod all about how fantastic this film was - and you should go watch it right now if you love fun.

If you enjoyed the podcast, please subscribe and leave us a 5 star rating on iTunes!

It's hard to find two movies more opposite movies than All That Jazz and Singin' in the Rain. But the two movies can be seen as a kind of yin and yang when it comes to movie musicals. One is light, breezy and charming while the other is heavy, dark and self-lacerating. And yet both are astonishing films, movies that deeply inspite Keith Silva and Jason Sacks. Join them for an hour and twenty minute chat about these two great films.

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So Eric and Jason got to talking about Steven Spielberg's movie The Fablemans and they got to pondering... is this the finest movie ever directed by th film master? Okay, probably not, but where does it rank in his films, and what makes it so compelling? Join the guys as they discuss these interesting topics.

Finally Jason and Carlos watch one of their favorite Marvel movies, Guardians of the Galaxy. Both of them love this fun, freewheeling superhero flick, so they trade off in a conversation about why it's so great. Join them for 24 minutes of purely pleasurable chat about a purely pleasurable film!

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Rafael Gaitan joins Jason to talk about two classic films, The Departed, starring a super cast of actors and directed by Martin Scorcese, and The Friends of Eddie Coyle, a classic 1970s crime flick starring Robert Mitchum and Peter Boyle, and directed by Peter Yates. Raf is a real film historian and does a great job of painting a fascinating picture of the world the characters of both movies are facing, pulling out small elements of each film which illuminate their greatness. It's a fascinating hour of listening!

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Paul Brian McCoy joins Jason again to talk about two more of his favrite low-budget films, Blue Ruin and The Battery. Blue Ruin is a smart, intriguing revenge tale while The Battery is a great, low-budget zombie flick. Join us for an hour-long discussion of these mvies that should be on yuour watchlist.

WARNING: There are spoilers for both movies.

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This week Jason starts out saying Captain America: the Winter Soldier is his favorite MCU film so far. But Carlos disagrees with that assertion. He feels it's just not as good as Jason thinks. Join us for 24 minutes of fun debate as well as some bashing of Robert Redford and some praise of Scarlett Johansson. 

If you enjoy this podcast, please subscribe and leave a review on iTunes!

Chris Wunderlich joins Jason this time to debate the quality of the notorious Southland Tales. Is this 2006 film the work of an auteurist genius, a crazy sprawling mess, or a mix of both? Chris loved this movie as a "perfect COVID watch, while Jason has to be presuaded of its quality. It's an hour of interesting listening about a baffling movie. We hope you enjoy!

Please subscribe and leave feedback on Apple so people can join the Movienauts crew!

Is Thor: the Dark World a great movie fantasy or a weird, dull tangent in the Marvel Universe? This time Carlos liked the movie, feeling it was a fun derivate take on Lord of the Rings trilogy, while Jason thinks there's just not a lot there to latch onto. It's 28 minutes of fun argument we hope you'll enjoy!

When Paul Moyer joins Jason to talk movies, that means it's '70s dystopia times. This time: two different sci-fi visions of the future from the mid-1970s. Rollerball seems prophetic in some ways, a deeply intriguing tale of future sports that imagines a future similar to the one we're living in now. Logan's Run, on the other hand, seems a little half-baked and poorly thought through, a clever idea contained in a movie that can't quite carry it. The discussion makes for an hour of interesting listening we hope you'll enjoy.

If you did enjoy the episode, please consider subscribing and leaving us a review in the Apple Podcasts app. Thanks!

Carlos hated Iron Man 3, but Jason has a hot take on the movie: it's actally not terrible. The guys argue a lot about whether Tony actually grows, if the end battle in this movie is worthwhile, and whether this is an appropriate conclusion to the Iron Man trilogy. They almost break their friendship based on this flick - or at least Carlos threatens that! Join us for a 20-minute chat that will force you to choose sides.

Jacques Tati directed some of the most wonderfully humorous and charming comedies of all time. Eric Hoffman joins Jason to discuss Tati's short filmography and delight in Tati's meticulous attention to detail, his clashes between urbanism and tradition, and his deep influences on other filmmaking greats. This was Jason's first time watching a Tati film and he was blown away by the experience. It's an hour of great discussion we're sure you'll enjoy.

Jason and Carlos have made it to the end of Phase 1 of the MCU as they discuss The Avengers, which stars just about everybody in an awesome special effects blockbuster. Carlos was frustrated by the sketchiness of this movie, while Jason enjoyed the spectacle of it. Come spend 28 minutes listening to Carlos grouse and Jason kinda sounds happy about this flick.

Shawn and Paul are back to talk David Lynch films with Jason. This time they have a split decision on Wild at Heart and dig deep into possible meanings in Lost Highway. The Lost Highway discussion goes deep and complex, which means this is a long, wonderful listen we hope you will enjoy.

Keith Silva joins Jason Sacks again to talk about two celebrated films about drinking. First they discuss the cult classic Withnail and I, which Jason doesn't quite get but which Keith is persuasive about. Then they discuss the Academy Award-nominated Another Round, which both agree is extraordinary and special. It's an hour-twenty of great conversation we're sure you'll enjoy!

SPOILER WARNING for this episode!

Paul Brian McCoy joins Jason this week to talk one of Paul's favorite movies, Russ Meyer's classic from 1965, Faster Pussycat Kill! Kill!. Jason has never seen this movie before but was blown away (appropriate term!) by the great lead characters, the film's fascinating mood, and the energy of the story being told. Paul talks about some behind the scenes facts that just make this movie better than you think it is. The guys then move over to a new movie, Bad Girls, which is kind of a spiritual successor to Faster Pussycat.  Directed by Christopher Bickel, this movie is a drug and sex crazed trip across a bizarrely distorted America. It's full of energy and power and both Paul and Jason loved the film. But note THERE ARE SPOILERS for both these movies.

It's an hour of great listening that we hope will encourage you to check out both these movies.

Finally a movie we love! Thor is animated by great performances by Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston, and directed with gravitas by Kenneth Branagh. Carlos and Jason agree Thor is a delight, with a smart plot that doesn't take itself too seriously, some good supporting characters, and some great godly battles. Join us for a 27-minute listen in which the guys are mostly happy for most of the show (well, alight, they do have questions about Anthony Hopkins, Idris Elba and Rene Russo, but not necessarily in a bad way...)