🎬 Moviewallas Episode 585

🎧 Welcome back to Moviewallas — your weekly fix for smart, spoiler-free movie reviews and cinephile banter. In Episode 585, Joe, Rashmi, and Yazdi return to a two-feature format, covering a buzzy new political dramedy from James L. Brooks and a genre-bending psychological thriller from Paul Feig. Along the way, they catch up on trailers, discuss new clip mics, and celebrate the San Diego Film Critics Society awards season.

👉 Full list of winners now live at https://www.sdfcs.org

🎬 Ella McCay

Written and directed by James L. Brooks, Ella McCay is a 2025 political dramedy about a rising political star (Emma Mackey) navigating public scrutiny, personal relationships, and generational conflict in the run-up to an election. With an ensemble that includes Jamie Lee Curtis, Woody Harrelson, Jack Lowden, Ayo Edebiri, and Albert Brooks, the film blends wit, idealism, and emotional nuance — marking Brooks’ return to filmmaking after a 13-year hiatus.

🎬 The Housemaid

From Paul Feig comes an unexpected turn into psychological suspense. The Housemaid is a dark, stylized thriller set in a glossy Manhattan high-rise, where a seemingly docile domestic worker gradually upends the life of her wealthy employer. With echoes of Single White Female and Parasite, Feig’s latest blends social satire and tension into something uniquely disquieting.

💬 Like, comment, and subscribe if you love film conversations that go beyond the press release. Have thoughts on Ella McCay or The Housemaid? Let us know in the comments.

🎙️ Hosted by: Joe, Rashmi & Yazdi

📺 Watch on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts

📍 Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @moviewallas

🌐 www.moviewallas.com

🕰 Timestamps

00:00 – Start

06:06 – Streaming Picks

06:56 – Relay

09:00 – Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery

11:59 – Caught Stealing

15:40 – Ella McCay (dir. James L. Brooks)

26:21 – The Housemaid (dir. Paul Feig)

#Moviewallas #MoviePodcast #EllaMcCay #JamesLBrooks #EmmaMackey #TheHousemaid #PaulFeig #PsychologicalThriller #SDFCS #SanDiegoFilmCriticsSociety #StreamingPicks #FilmDiscussion #TooManyMoviesTooLittleTime

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 45:02 — 41.5MB)

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Moviewallas Episode 584

Moviewallas is on YouTube!

Welcome back to Moviewallas, your weekly home for thoughtful film reviews, movie news, and lively banter. In Episode 584, Joe, Rashmi, and Yazdi cover two feature films — one a hyper-stylized period sports drama, the other a spiritual documentary — along with three standout shorts and a few offhand streaming picks.

🎯 Streaming Picks

Quick takes on what’s worth checking out when you’re short on time but craving something new.

🎥 Left-Handed Girl

A haunting, understated movie about isolation and subtle power shifts. Quiet but potent.

🎥 Bad Shabbos

A funny, chaotic, culturally specific film that mines family tension for full cringe and full laughs.

🎥 The Thinking Game

An elegant, intimate documentary from DeepMind about human-AI collaboration and the nature of thought itself.

📺 Watch it here:

🏓 Marty Supreme

Directed by Josh Safdie, this highly stylized table tennis drama stars Timothée Chalamet as a rising sports star in 1950s New York. Between its dazzling craft and period detail, it raises great conversation about competition, image, and identity.

📜 The Testament of Ann Lee

This meditative documentary explores the history and philosophy of Ann Lee, the founder of the Shakers. With a calm pace and introspective tone, the film looks at belief systems, community, and control.

🛋️ PLUS…

• Movie-watching marathons in hotel rooms

• Rashmi’s full immersion strategy

• Why Joe taps out after movie #3

• Yazdi channels Roger Ebert

💬 Like, comment, and subscribe if you love smart, spoiler-free film conversations with genuine banter and discovery. Seen The Thinking Game? Let us know what you thought!

🎙️ Hosted by: Joe, Rashmi & Yazdi

📺 Watch on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts

📍 Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @moviewallas

🌐 www.moviewallas.com

🕰 Timestamps

00:00 – Start

02:32 – Streaming Picks

03:14 – Left-Handed Girl

04:37 – Bad Shabbos

06:17 – The Thinking Game

🔗 https://youtu.be/d95J8yzvjbQ

09:59 – Marty Supreme (dir. Josh Safdie)

22:16 – The Testament of Ann Lee

#Moviewallas #MoviePodcast #MartySupreme #JoshSafdie #TimotheeChalamet #TestamentOfAnnLee #ShortFilms #TheThinkingGame #DeepMind #DocumentaryFilm #AIandCreativity #FilmReview #TooManyMoviesTooLittleTime

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 32:17 — 29.9MB)

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Moviewallas is on YouTube!

Welcome back to Moviewallas, your weekly home for film reviews, movie news, and unscripted banter. In Episode 583, Joe, Rashmi, and Yazdi return with three eclectic films — a genre classic, a melancholic sci-fi indie, and a striking festival discovery.

🎯 The Running Man

The team revisits this 1987 sci-fi action film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, based on a novel by Stephen King (writing as Richard Bachman). With dystopian satire, over-the-top set pieces, and prophetic media commentary, this one sparks discussion about tone, influence, and whether it’s aged like fine cheese or fine wine.

🕰 Eternity

A meditative sci-fi indie that blends time travel with grief, memory, and philosophical introspection. The group discusses structure, pacing, and how smaller films use sci-fi not for spectacle but to explore human emotion and existential questions.

🎥 Jay Kelly

A Tribeca 2024 entry featuring a breakout performance and a quietly bold visual style. The hosts examine what makes this intimate drama stand out, especially among recent indie debuts, and how character and form can create lasting impact.

🛋️ PLUS…

• Joe shows off his San Diego FC pride

• A few bonus thoughts on the season’s streaming backlog

💬 Like, comment, and subscribe if you enjoy passionate, spoiler-free film conversations with deep dives and laughter. Let us know in the comments: what’s a genre film that’s grown on you over time?

🎙️ Hosted by: Joe, Rashmi & Yazdi

📺 Watch on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts

📍 Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @moviewallas

🌐 www.moviewallas.com

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 38:48 — 35.8MB)

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Moviewallas is on YouTube!

Reviews: Rental Family – Wicked for Good – Hamnet

Happy Thanksgiving weekend! In this episode of Moviewallas, Joe, Rashmi, and Yazdi gather for a packed holiday show featuring three very different films – from heartfelt indie drama, to mega-musical fantasy, to prestige literary adaptation.

⭐ This Week’s Reviews

🎥 Rental Family

Brendan Fraser stars in a soulful tale about an American actor in Tokyo who finds unlikely purpose working for a Japanese “rental family” agency. We discuss the film’s charm, emotional beats, cultural context, and Fraser’s beautifully understated performance.

🎵 Wicked for Good

The second part of the two-film adaptation of the hit Broadway musical. Rashmi dives into whether the sequel improves on part one, how it ties into The Wizard of Oz, and what works (or doesn’t) about its pacing, spectacle, and storytelling.

🎭 Hamnet

Chloé Zhao adapts Maggie O’Farrell’s acclaimed novel about Shakespeare’s family life and the tragedy that shaped some of his greatest work. We debate the film’s pacing, emotional impact, performances by Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal, and whether the hype helps or hurts.

💬 Join the Conversation

Have you seen any of these films? Drop your thoughts in the comments – we always love hearing from you.

🍿 About Moviewallas Your weekly dose of film reviews, movie news, and lively banter – from theaters, streaming, airplanes, and everywhere in between. If you love the movies, this show is for you.

Thanks for listening and supporting us. Too many movies, too little time! 🎥✨

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 37:17 — 34.4MB)

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Moviewallas is on YouTube!

Welcome back to Moviewallas, your weekly dose of film reviews, movie news, and movie-loving banter. In Episode 581, Joe, Rashmi, and Yazdi dive into three wildly different films — a sci-fi thrill ride, a fever-dream drama, and a heartfelt dramedy about love, art, and reinvention.

🎯 Predator: Badlands

Dan Trachtenberg returns with a bold new entry in the Predator universe. Elle Fanning stars in dual roles in a tight, inventive actioner that mixes dread, emotion, and sharp design. The team breaks down the creative risks and big payoffs.

🩸 Die My Love

Director Lynne Ramsay adapts Ariana Harwicz’s intense novel with Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson. This hallucinatory descent into maternal crisis, grief, and rage pushes boundaries. A charged discussion around performance, tone, and the genre’s impact.

🎤 Is This Thing On?

Bradley Cooper directs this intimate New York-set dramedy starring Will Arnett and Laura Dern as a couple navigating divorce, stand-up comedy, and self-discovery. Subtle, lived-in performances anchor a film that sits between melancholy and warmth.

🛋️ PLUS…

• Ghanaian meat pies vs. samosas — what’s the best pre-podcast snack?

• The Totally Rad Show’s influence on Moviewallas

• Rashmi vs. Predator dreadlocks (again)

• A few offhand streaming recommendations

💬 Like, comment, and subscribe if you enjoy passionate, spoiler-lite conversations from three film lovers who see (and feel) everything. Drop your own takes in the comments!

🎙️ Hosted by: Joe, Rashmi & Yazdi

📺 Watch on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts

📍 Follow us @moviewallas on Instagram and Twitter

🌐 www.moviewallas.com

🕰 Timestamps

00:00 – Start
02:36 – Predator: Badlands
20:09 – Die My Love
32:04 – Is This Thing On

#Moviewallas #MoviePodcast #PredatorBadlands #ElleFanning #DieMyLove #LynneRamsay #IsThisThingOn #BradleyCooper #WillArnett #LauraDern #FilmReview #CinephileChat #ArianaHarwicz #TooManyMoviesTooLittleTime

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 48:06 — 44.3MB)

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🎬 Welcome to the Moviewallas Podcast!

Moviewallas is on YouTube!

This week, Joe, Rashmi, and Yazdi return with a compelling mix of postwar courtroom drama, experimental storytelling, and genre-defying surprises. 🍿

🎧 In this episode:

⚖️ NUREMBERG The team discusses a new dramatization of the landmark post-WWII trials. With its historical weight and moral complexity, this film brings justice, memory, and power dynamics into sharp cinematic focus. Also here’s the link Yazdi mentioned:

🐝 BUGONIA Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, this darkly comic fable imagines a world where chaos, ritual, and bees intersect in deeply unsettling (and hilarious) ways. Known for The Lobster and The Favourite, Lanthimos brings his signature absurdist lens to a strange and layered narrative that’s anything but conventional. The hosts unpack its themes, visuals, and what makes it unlike anything else this year.

🚧 IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT The latest film from Jafar Panahi explores the blurred lines between responsibility, perception, and truth in modern Iran. As always, Panahi brings a deeply human lens to a deceptively simple premise. The Moviewallas delve into his signature mix of realism and quiet provocation — no spoilers, just thoughtful conversation.

💬 Like, comment, and subscribe for grounded, spoiler-free film conversation with a personal twist. Which of these three are you most curious about?

🎙️ Hosted by: Joe, Rashmi & Yazdi 📺 Listen on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts

📍 Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @moviewallas

🌐 Learn more at: www.moviewallas.com

00:00 – Start
06:30 – Nuremberg
23:28 – Bugonia
42:39 – It Was Just An Accident

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 52:24 — 48.3MB)

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