InSession Film Podcast

On this episode, Shadan is joined by Ben Miller and Jacob Throneberry to discuss their way too early predictions for the 2027 Oscars! We haven't seen most of the films and performances that will likely be in contention, and we're only a month removed from the 2026 Oscars, but who's to say we can't have a little fun speculating on what next year's Academy Awards could look like? 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 Megan discuss Julia Ducournau's new film ALPHA! After getting skewered at last year's Cannes Film Festival, we were extremely curious to see what would cause such vitriol. Ducournau is, obviously, a polarizing filmmaker anyway, but did ALPHA deserve the hate that it received? We might have seen a different movie than Cannes critics... Visit https://insessionfilm.com 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 | @RealJDDuran | @BrendanJCassidy

On this episode, JD and Megan discuss Lee Cronin's new film LEE CRONIN'S THE MUMMY! Which is an ironic title as it's not a mummy movie. It's a demonic possession movie. There are some effective thrills and visuals, but with the film getting mixed results from critics, we comb through its narrative approach to discuss why it's becoming so polarized. 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 MOTHER MARY coming to the theaters this weekend and the fact that it is *her* year (with five films coming out in 2026), we thought it would be fun to do a Top 10 consensus ranking of Anne Hathaway performances! We also discuss this year's CinemaCon and JD gives his thoughts on the horror film UNDERTONE. - Open (0:35) - Undertone (3:16) - CinemaCon (26:45) - Anne Hathaway Ranking (1:03:48) Visit insessionfilm.dashery.com to support the show with InSession Film merch! Episode sponsor: PRIMATE - 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, JD and Megan discuss Daniel Goldhaber's latest horror film FACES OF DEATH! It's one of the better meta-commentary genre films we've seen in recent years, featuring some inspired filmmaking and some great performances. Dacre Montgomery is especially striking. 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, with it being Brendan's last show before he goes out on leave to become a new dad, we thought it would be fun to discuss our Top 5 Girl Dad movies (as Brendan and his wife are expecting a baby girl)! We also give our thoughts on this year's Cannes Film Festival lineup! - Open / Announcement (0:35) - Cannes Lineup (5:45) - Top 5 Girl Dad Movies (34:09) 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 look back at the legendary career of the great Robert Duvall! From THE GODFATHER to APOCALYPSE NOW to TENDER MERCIES to NETWORK, and everything in-between, Duvall was a staple in Hollywood for decades. One of the very best to ever do it. His passing recently is saddening and we wanted to take some time to discuss his amazing legacy. 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

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 Marc 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/JayMcCarrol 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 post-mortem 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 indugle 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