The A.V. Club Presents Film Club

Today, we're introducing Push The Envelope, a new podcast where The A.V. Club editors and celebrity guests come together to discuss the Emmys, Oscars, Grammys, Globes, and more. From dream nominations to current snubs and surprises to favorite moments from past ceremonies—if someone’s passing out trophies, we’re talking about it.. Future episodes will cover everything from the VMAs and Tonys to the latest critical darlings of all forms of entertainment, but Push The Envelope kicks off with four episodes focused on the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards. Every Friday leading up to the Sept. 20 ceremony, TV editor Danette Chavez and managing Editor Erik Adams will join editor-in-chief Patrick Gomez in analyzing the nominations and predicting what we can expect from the upcoming at-home telecast. Push The Envelope will also feature interviews with some of the folks you’ll see in that telecast; in our first episode, you’ll hear from The Good Place’s D’Arcy Carden and Schitt’s Creek’s Catherine O’Hara. The three episodes that follow will focus on the limited series and movie, drama, and comedy categories, and feature conversations with Uzo Aduba (Mrs. America), Tituss Burgess (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy Vs. The Reverend), Nicholas Braun (Succession), some of the Watchmen creative team, and more. And if the TV isn’t your thing for some reason, don’t fret—this podcast is a year-round effort and we’ll be moving on to discuss other topics posthaste, with more celebrity guests and members of the A.V. Club staff joining the conversation. For now, we hope you’ll subscribe to Push The Envelope, available wherever you get your podcasts. Visit: https://www.avclub.com/ Like: https://www.facebook.com/theavclub Follow: https://twitter.com/theavclub Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For the past three weeks on Film Club, our critics A.A. Dowd and Katie Rife have embarked on a deep dive into the films of Christopher Nolan. And our final installment in the series is as twisting and complex as it gets, as we discuss the blockbuster trio of Inception (2010), Interstellar (2014), and Dunkirk (2017). Is Nolan’s reputation for making chilly films that are full of ideas, but short on emotion, justified? Have our opinions of his work changed after spending the last month seeped in his filmography? And how did he manage to put out a such an ambitious series of $100 million-plus epics, with only a few years in between? Visit: https://www.avclub.com/ Like: https://www.facebook.com/theavclub Follow: https://twitter.com/theavclub Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Last week on Film Club, critics A.A. Dowd and Katie Rife discussed Christopher Nolan’s massively popular Dark Knight trilogy. This week, in the third part of our month-long series on Nolan’s filmography, they’re pulling a Memento and dicing up the timeline to discuss the movies the director made directly before and directly after his first trip to Gotham. It’s two smaller-scale thriller adaptations for the price of one: Insomnia, Nolan’s work-for-hire remake of a Norwegian detective thriller, and The Prestige, his twisty take on the Christopher Priest novel about dueling 19th-century magicians. Visit: https://www.avclub.com/ Like: https://www.facebook.com/theavclub Follow: https://twitter.com/theavclub Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For the second installment in our month-long series on the films of Christopher Nolan, critics A.A. Dowd and Katie Rife revisit the blockbuster comic-book franchise that made him one of the world’s most celebrated directors. Nearly a decade later, which entry in the trilogy holds up best? And how did this particularly operatic take on the caped crusader shape both the future of big-budget moviemaking and Nolan’s own style? Visit: https://www.avclub.com/ Like: https://www.facebook.com/theavclub Follow: https://twitter.com/theavclub Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Later this month, audiences around the world (including—though this is less certain—some in the United States) will finally lay eyes on what once looked like the movie event of the summer, Tenet. In honor of the belated release of this time-bending thriller, we’re spending the rest of August talking about the filmography of its celebrated director, Christopher Nolan, who’s become possibly the premier blockbuster craftsman of the new millennium. Today, to kick off our four-part series, critics A.A. Dowd and Katie Rife are returning to Nolan’s pre-Hollywood work: his scrappy directorial debut, Following, and his big breakthrough, Memento. How well do these nonlinear indie noirs hold up two decades later? Let’s discuss. Visit: https://www.avclub.com/ Like: https://www.facebook.com/theavclub Follow: https://twitter.com/theavclub Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The year is about halfway over, and though no new movies have hit theaters in months, plenty of very good ones have made their way to streaming platforms, video-on-demand, and virtual cinemas since everything shut down in March. Which got us thinking: If next year’s Oscars honored only the current crop of 2020 releases, which ones would be most worthy of consideration? On the first new episode of Film Club since June, critics A.A. Dowd and Katie Rife offer their picks for the best movies, performances, and scripts of the year so far, in what we’re calling The Midyear Awards. Don’t worry: Our “ceremony” is much shorter than the real one. And there are no montages. Visit: https://www.avclub.com/ Like: https://www.facebook.com/theavclub Follow: https://twitter.com/theavclub Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s almost July, and if release calendars can be believed (they probably can’t), we might see a few movies creep into theaters again. (Christopher Nolan’s Tenet and the live-action Mulan remake are both currently scheduled to debut in multiplexes by the end of next month.) Whether that actually happens remains to be seen, of course. For now, we’re still stuck watching movies at home—and plenty of new ones arrived over this last month. On the last new episode of Film Club for three weeks, A.A. Dowd and Katie Rife look back on two of June’s more high-profile digital releases: the Pete Davidson-Judd Apatow comedy The King Of Staten Island and the Gothic psychodrama Shirley, starring Elisabeth Moss as horror author Shirley Jackson. Plus, both critics offer their recommendations of the best news films currently streaming. Visit: https://www.avclub.com/ Like: https://www.facebook.com/theavclub Follow: https://twitter.com/theavclub Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A few weeks ago on Film Club, our critics reminisced about movie theaters, many of which are still closed because of the pandemic. But the multiplex will reopen eventually. What, by contrast, will become of the video store, which was endangered long before COVID-19? On today’s episode, A.A. Dowd and Katie Rife are joined by fellow A.V. Club contributor and former Film Club cohost Ignatiy Vishnevetsky to discuss the past and potential future of brick-and-mortar movie renting, along with their own fond memories of frequenting and working behind the counter of video stores. Visit: https://www.avclub.com/ Like: https://www.facebook.com/theavclub Follow: https://twitter.com/theavclub Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There’s a new Spike Lee joint available today on Netflix. Da 5 Bloods, about a group of Black veterans returning to Vietnam decades later in search of both their fallen brother-in-arms and some gold they buried during the war, has earned Lee mostly glowing reviews (though not from our own reviewer, Ashley Ray-Harris). In honor of the film’s release, our critics sat down with Robert Daniels, who runs the website 812FilmReviews and has written for RogerEbert.com and The Playlist, to talk about Lee’s prolific career as a filmmaker over the last three-and-a-half decades. Visit: https://www.avclub.com/ Like: https://www.facebook.com/theavclub Follow: https://twitter.com/theavclub Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to this week’s second installment of Film Club, The A.V. Club’s weekly movie-discussion series. On this very special, format-breaking episode, our critics encroach on TV editor Danette Chavez’s turf to discuss the strange world of The X-Files. Since its premiere almost three decades ago, Chris Carter’s sci-fi drama grew from beloved cult favorite, to pop culture juggernaut, garnering prestige and acclaim along the way. By total coincidence, A.A. Dowd and Katie Rife both found themselves revisiting the series while quarantining, and decided to record this bonus episode of Film Club. In it, they discuss their shared love for the series, its influences and legacy, and whether or not it still holds up. Visit: https://www.avclub.com/ Like: https://www.facebook.com/theavclub Follow: https://twitter.com/theavclub Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to a brand new episode of Film Club, The A.V. Club’s weekly movie-discussion series. The culmination of a remarkable rise from an independent production helmed by a self-taught filmmaker to the Toronto International Film Festival, Andrew Patterson’s buzzy indie-sci fi movie The Vast Of Night makes its debut on Amazon Prime today. It’s an inspiring story, but is it also a great film? Our critics A.A. Dowd and Katie Rife weigh in. Visit: https://www.avclub.com/ Like: https://www.facebook.com/theavclub Follow: https://twitter.com/theavclub Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We’re rolling into a long weekend, and with multiplexes around the country still closed, movie lovers will have to get their fix at home. Among the more high-profile options available to rent or stream are two films once headed for theaters: the hijinks-heavy, crime-themed romantic comedy The Lovebirds, starring Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani; and Capone, Josh Trank’s look at the ignoble final days of the fearsome Chicago gangster, played here by Tom Hardy. Are either worth your time and/or money? On this new episode of Film Club, critics A.A. Dowd and Katie Rife debate the merits of these very different movies, both vying for your Memorial Day attention. Visit: https://www.avclub.com/ Like: https://www.facebook.com/theavclub Follow: https://twitter.com/theavclub Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to a brand new episode of Film Club, The A.V. Club’s weekly movie-discussion series. The original Friday The 13th film was released on May 9, 1980 to middling reviews but staggering financial success, grossing $59 million on a estimated budget of $550,000. 40 years on and a dozen films later, the quintessential slasher franchise continues to lumber through our pop-culture consciousness. This week on Film Club, Katie Rife and A.A. Dowd are running down the Friday The 13th series, from Camp Crystal Lake to the year 2455, on an episode ominously taped on Wednesday the 13. In the episode—which you can listen to below, or wherever you get your podcasts—you’ll hear the pair discuss the franchise’s history, its influences and legacy, its unlikely future, and their favorite kills Visit: https://www.avclub.com/ Like: https://www.facebook.com/theavclub Follow: https://twitter.com/theavclub Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ever since 1975, when Steven Spielberg’s Jaws gobbled up every box-office record in sight, Hollywood has treated the warmer weeks of the year like a launching ground for its most expensive, extravagant productions—a whole season of would-be blockbusters, vying for our moviegoing attention from the beginning of May until the end of August. There will, of course, will be very few, if any, blockbusters coming to a theater near you this summer. On a brand new episode of Film Club, critics A.A. Dowd and Katie Rife offer a history lesson of this suddenly halted tradition, before debating which year, in the 45 since Jaws, gave us the greatest summer blockbuster season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to a brand new episode of Film Club, The A.V. Club’s weekly movie-discussion series. Though some states are permitting theaters to begin re-opening with restrictions, it will be sometime before moviegoers flock back to theaters. There are still concerns about the health risks of large public gatherings, and there are just no new movies coming to theaters. That means, for the foreseeable future, many movie lovers will be doing the majority of their movie watching via various streaming platforms—an industry that has become increasingly crowded, with seemingly every legacy media corporation launching a new one weekly. So, on this week’s Film Club, our critics A.A. Dowd and Katie Rife wade into those muddy streaming waters in an attempt to find the best option(s) for movie lovers. In the episode, which you can listen to below, they discuss the major streaming players, recommend some lesser known but still great options, and talk some shit about Crackle. Visit: https://www.avclub.com/ Like: https://www.facebook.com/theavclub Follow: https://twitter.com/theavclub Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome back to Film Club, The A.V. Club’s weekly movie discussion series. This week, A.A. Dowd and Katie Rife get back to basics again with an extended discussion of two new releases. First, they dig into True History Of The Kelly Gang, a western film inspired by the true stories of Australian bushranger Ned Kelly and his gang of outlaws. Then, a discussion of HBO’s Bad Education, also inspired by a true story and starring Hugh Jackman in one of the best performances of his career. Visit: https://www.avclub.com/ Like: https://www.facebook.com/theavclub Follow: https://twitter.com/theavclub Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome back to Film Club, The A.V. Club’s weekly movie-discussion series. In addition to this week’s regularly scheduled installment—which you can listen to here—we’re coming to you again with our first ever interview episode. Ryan Oestreich, general manager of Chicago’s historic Music Box Theatre, was kind enough to hop on a call with our critics A.A. Dowd and Katie Rife for a pleasant chat, which you can listen to below. In the episode, you’ll hear Oestreich discuss the challenges of running an arthouse theater in the middle of a pandemic, when he thinks moviegoers can get back into theaters, and what lies aheads for the moviegoing industry as a whole. Visit: https://www.avclub.com/ Like: https://www.facebook.com/theavclub Follow: https://twitter.com/theavclub Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Remember going to the movies? Our critics sure do. Multiplexes and arthouses are shutdown around the world, but that won’t stop film editor A.A. Dowd and senior writer Katie Rife from waxing nostalgic about the moviegoing experience. In this week’s installment of Film Club, our critics dig into their personal histories of going to the movies, share some of their most memorable experiences, and a discuss a brief history of the pastime. Visit: https://www.avclub.com/ Like: https://www.facebook.com/theavclub Follow: https://twitter.com/theavclub Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Over the last couple weeks, Film Club has taken a few creative detours. With no new wide releases to discuss, our critics A.A. Dowd and Katie Rife have taken this opportunity to examine the pandemic’s impact on the film industry, pilot a new A.V. Club feature, and discuss the “F” CinemaScore. Today, its back to basics with an extended discussion on three relatively new films, all of which you can watch from the comfort of your own home: the Irish sci-fi horror Sea Fever, the Vin Diesel star-vehicle Bloodshot, and Ben Affleck’s sports drama The Way Back. Visit: https://www.avclub.com/ Like: https://www.facebook.com/theavclub Follow: https://twitter.com/theavclub Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

CinemaScore, for the uninitiated, is a Las Vegas-based market research firm that bills itself as “the industry leader in measuring movie appeal.” On a film’s opening day, their representatives stand outside of theaters and ask hundreds of moviegoers to grade the films they just saw on an A-to-F scale, the average of which becomes the “CinemaScore.” But while the metric has become a useful marketing tool for studios, it has also underlined the divide between the general public’s reaction to a film, and that of the critic community. On today’s episode on Film Club, A.A. Dowd and Katie Rife examine that divide, deep dive into their own grading philosophies, and discuss whether or not an “F” from CinemaScore is actually a good thing. Visit: https://www.avclub.com/ Like: https://www.facebook.com/theavclub Follow: https://twitter.com/theavclub Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices