Film Optimists

Bugonia

In this episode we discuss Bugonia directed by the Greek Director Yorgos Lanthimos. The scfi/dark comedy follows Jesse Plemons as a conspiracy theorist who is convinced that the CEO (played by Emma Stone) of a major company is in fact an Alien. Not just any alien, a a member of an alien race that is actively trying to destroy earth. The plan is to kidnap her and force her to admit to her that she is actually an alien, then have her arrange a meeting between Jesse Plemons and her superiors so he can attempt to negotiate the aliens leaving Earth alone. What could possibly go wrong? Well the answer is just about everything. As with all Lanthimos films, this one is a wild and surreal ride into the unexpected. Bugonia is a remake of the Korean film, Save the Green Planet!

A Woman Under the Influence

We're turning our focus to American Independent Cinema this episode in covering John Cassavetes, A Woman Under the Influence. The film was written for, and stars, Cassavetes wife Gena Rowlands as a working class housewife who struggles' include mental illness. Rowlands' performance is nothing short of extraordinary and earned her great acclaim, including an Academy award nomination for Best Actress. The film also stars Peter Falk as Rowlands' husband who has great difficulty in navigating his wife's increasingly erratic behavior.

The Gospel According to Saint Matthew

Happy Spring Everybody! To celebrate the season we have an early Easter episode with The Gospel According to Saint Matthew. Why are a couple of nonbeliever's talking about a religious movie? That can be answered in three words. Pier Paolo Pasolini. The vastly influential, and controversial, Italian filmmaker directed the Gospel According to Saint Matthew. The film finds Pasolini at perhaps his most tranquil and reflective while he explores what he referred to as a "nostalgia for a belief". Casting non actors in all the roles, Pasolini brings Matthew's gospel to life in inspiring and mesmerizing fashion. Don't take our word for it, take the Vatican who referred to the film as the best film on Christ ever made.

Top 5 of 2025

Its time for our annual top 5 episode! We'll be discussing the top 5 movies we each saw last year, not necessarily movies that came out last year. We'll also be discussing the Oscar nominees, who want to win and who will most likely win. Let us know some of your favorite watches from last year in the comments!

King of Comedy

Its been a long time coming, but we're finally doing a Martin Scorsese episode. With a career that spans over 6 decades and includes several masterpieces, we had plenty of options to choose from. We went with one we consider underrated, yet deeply influential. The King of Comedy from 1982. The film stars Robert De Niro (in one of his ten collaborations with Scorsese) as a self proclaimed comedian named Rupert Pupkin. Rupert is obsessed with a late night host named Jerry Langford, played by the one and only Jerry Lewis. Rather than become a star through the usual routes, Rupert is convinced that Jerry will offer him his big break. When that doesn't happen, Rupert takes matters into his own hands. If the plot involving a failed comedian and a late night host sounds an awful lot like a certain movie that came out a few years ago, you aren't wrong. Hear us to discuss that and much more!