Stuff We’ve Seen

Here is a rare mini bonus episode for everyone. We had to do a test of our new audio recording setup, so we talked a couple minutes about "Mickey 17" and then had some fun destroying the movie trailer for the abysmal looking remake of "Snow White." Enjoy!

Teal didn't feel confident enough to make a list this year, so on this episode he asks Jim to reveal his top 10 films of 2024. You already know "The Brutalist" and "Anora" were two of Jim's favorites. What else made his top 10? Listen and find out.

Jim and Teal have you Academy Award Nominations 2025 wrap-up, and a whole heck of a lot of praise for "The Brutalist." J&T recap all the major categories, and in between, they talk about a film they believe towers above all others. This episode is a long one, but stay tuned for the final 15 minutes when things go hilariously off-the-rails.

This week Jim and Teal offer three year end films: "Nosferatu", "A Complete Unknown", and "Anora." Which film hits all the right notes for J&T, which film is respected more than loved, and which film finds our two podcasters more at odds than with any film in the past six years. It's all for you, Damian.

Thematics galore tie several new fall offerings together as Jim and Teal discuss "Wicked," "Conclave," "A Different Man," and "Emilia Perez." It's been a bit since J&T got on the mic, but they are back with this comprehensive, super-sized episode that is sure to tie you over until the next one. Enjoy!

This week Jim and Teal explore the wonderful body horror experience, "The Substance," from director Coralie Fargeat. In addition, Jim and Teal talk about "Strange Darling," "Woman of the Hour," "Alien: Romulus," and "Late Night with the Devil."

The cinema dustbin often contains treasures if one is willing enough to go digging. This week, Jim and Teal did some digging. They found a couple of oddities from the 1960s to discuss, 1963's The Sadist and 1967's The Incident. While not Jim's chosen genre, he stuck with both films and discovered there are interesting things to find in such forgotten movie relics. Jim and Teal kick off the show with Jim's negative review of the new Salem's Lot reboot playing on MAX, and then Jim provides a brief summary of Joker: Folie a Duex. Is Jim the only one on the planet who liked this film?

Twisted Nerve, Winter Kills, and September 30th, 1955; what do these movies all have in common? Well, they're all hard-to-see hidden gems that Jim and Teal have unearthed to watch, and make you aware of them. It's definitely an odd bag this week. From conspiracy theory-laced capers, to messed-up psycho's, to dead legends, this episode has a little something for everyone. Enjoy!

Teal is back from his time off, and he's brought with him two hidden gems: Messiah of Evil and Targets. Messiah of Evil is a 1973 horror film (released in 1974) by co-director's Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz, the two writers behind American Graffiti. This low budget film features loads of creepy atmosphere, aided by some brilliant production design, courtesy of Jack Fisk. It's currently playing as part of the Criterion Channel's Synth Score series. Second up is the debut film from director Peter Bogdanovich, Targets (1968). This film is part of the Criterion Collection, and while it isn't currently playing on their channel, it pops up on it from time-to-time. Jim and Teal caught up with this movie which is far more elevated than any movie Roger Corman produced has a right to be. Featuring an unnerving performance from Tim O'Kelly, and a great supporting role by horror legend Boris Karloff, Targets is an exercise in how to make a film great, even on a shoestring budget. Along the way, Jim and Teal discuss the merits of Longlegs, and Jim rants about a recent crop of big-budget stinkers he's had the displeasure of watching. Lots to enjoy this week, so dig in!

Jim and guest Bill play cat and mouse with the Criterion Channel's latest Neo Noir series. How do all the puzzle pieces fit? What are the connections between films? This assortment is an odd mix of neo noir films that, at times, have Jim struggling to find the connections between movies. Can Bill from Queens help Jim solve the mystery?

When you reach Schrader Canyon, you know you are in dangerous film territory. In the third and final installment of Jim and Bill's look at Paul Schrader's filmography, they climb the shadowy depths of Schrader Canyon to unearth Exorcist Dominion, and the notorious Lindsay Lohan film, The Canyons. But just when you thought Jim and Bill were stuck in the Schrader Canyon forever, they find a way out with a late career resurgence including First Reformed, The Card Counter, and The Master Gardener. With a little time left in the episode, Jim and Bill touch base on Criterion's latest Neo Noir offerings, and you won't want to miss the final four minutes of the episode, when in true Paul Schrader fashion, things go way off the rails. It's an action packed episode, folks. Enjoy! If you dare.

Ah, the comfort of Schrader. Sooner or later, the more you watch, the more you fall under the spell of Paul Schrader, and the harder it will be for you to find a way out. Jim and his guest, Bill from Queens, continue their expedition through the heart of Paul Schrader's filmography with looks at Mishima: a Life in Four Chapters, Light of Day, The Comfort of Strangers, and Light Sleeper. Plus, hear the tale of Jim and Bill's brief brush with Paul Schrader in person, back in their days at NYU.

Welcome to the Schraderverse: The Paul Schraderverse if you will. A man whose filmography is almost more a state of mind than an actual compendium of movies. Paul Schrader is a tough director to pin down, so to tackle the screenwriter of Taxi Driver and Raging Bull, Jim tapped his old pal, and longtime listener of the show, Bill From Queens to sit in. Bill is a Schrader fanatic, much more so than Jim, who has many problems with Schrader's directorial efforts. Will sparks fly? Well, let's not call Jim and Bill's episode contentious, but the pair is not afraid to mix it up. In the first of at least two episodes on Paul Schrader (there is enough material for potentially 3 depending on how the editing goes) Jim and Bill duke it out over the merits of Schrader as they find themselves sucked into the Schraderverse. And where's Teal at? Well, you'll just have to take a listen to find out. But warning in advance: you can't trust Jim whenever he tells you where Teal's hiding.

It was nearly thirty five years ago that Jim met Teal in a diner in Greenwich Village, NYC in September of 1989. On this episode of Stuff We've Seen, you'll learn how the two film lovers met, and how they began their movie-watching journey together. That covers the second half of the episode. But first, Jim runs through several movies he's seen lately, including I Saw the TV Glow, The Bikeriders, Origin, and Hundreds of Beavers. Lots of laughs in this episode, so strap on those earbuds and get listening!

The summer movie season is upon us, but what a strange season it is so far. Film and after film has underperformed, and one movie's poor performance at the box office is surprising given the prestige of its predecessor. Of course, I'm talking about Furiosa: a Mad Max Saga. Apparently, movie audiences weren't up for a prequel installment to George Miller's near-universally praised Mad Max: Fury Road. Jim and Teal are monster fans of Fury Road, so what do they think of Furisoa? Well, you'll have to listen to find out. What else? Both Jim and Teal caught Richard Linklater's Netflix film offering, The Hitman, startting Glen Powell and Adria Arjona. This light and breezy comedy neo noir hit the right spot for enjoyment level, and gets a recommendation from Jim and Teal. But that's not all. Jim watched Am I Ok? and Teal caught up with Lisa Frankenstein. And for added measure, Jim recommends a bit of an odd hidden gem, The Sweet East. Lots of films on the docket for this hour of podcast funtainment. Enjoy!

Who is the world's foremost expert on Otto Preminger's 1968 film Skidoo? Who is the man who is devoted to physical media preservation, and has the YouTube Channel to prove it? Who is a BAFTA and Peabody award-winning game writer who brought Life is Strange to gamers everywhere? This week, Jim and Teal chat with Christian Divine, a writer, journalist, and lover of films. His knowledge is vast, and he isn't shy about sharing his opinions, even if his insights might make you rethink some of your childhood favorite movies.

This week Jim and Teal look at some films from 2024, including Dune 2, Love Lies Bleeding, Monkey Man., Riddle of Fire, and Arcadian. All are available for streaming or On-demand in one form or another. But just because you can stream them, should you? Have a listen and find out what Jim and Teal think.

This week Jim recommends the new A24 Alex Garland film, Civil War. And then things get a bit crazy with a discussion on Andrzej Zulawski's insane sci-fi epic, On the Silver Globe. One thing is for sure: it is one of the most mind-bending insane films Jim and Teal have ever seen. Never heard of it? Well, you wouldn't be alone. But for the lover of film bizarre, this may be the film you've been searching for.

Never say never again; wise words from Sean Connery on playing James Bond after Diamonds Are Forever, which is the first time he came back to the role after vowing never to play the character again. Well, he did return for 1983's, Never Say Never Again, and the verdict's still out on if that was a wise idea or not. Still, just like Sean Connery, Jim and Teal vowed the show was over, well...okay, Jim did. But Teal had other plans, and here we are--back in action, and ready for another season of Stuff We've Seen. What's on tap for our first return episode? Well, first, Jim reveals what he's been doing while on break from the show. It turns out, he was finishing, and self-publishing his first novel. It's a YA look back at his high school days from the late 1980s. The book is, "Parental Guidance Suggested: A Wicked Awesome Tale Of High School In The Late 80s That's Totally Not Rated PG". It's available on Amazon for Kindle, Paperback, or Hardcover. Just search by the main title and James Kent, and you should find it. That announcement segues into a discussion on teens in trouble movies, where we spotlight two films: The River's Edge (1987), and Over the Edge (1979). These two films capture something real and true about teenagers that Jim and Teal feel is missing from today's films about youth. Lots to enjoy this episode. And we're glad to be back at it. Never say never again!

The Stuff We've Seen podcast comes to a close after five successful years, hundreds of episodes, and loads of laughs. What better way to end the run, but with a recap of Jim's top ten films of 2023? Enjoy the list, and who knows? We may be back again someday.