Stuff We’ve Seen

2023 Academy Awards Nominatons

We do it every year on Oscar Nominations day. Jim and Teal break down all the award nominees, from the surprises (Andrea Riseborough anyone?) to the expected (many awards for Everything, Everywhere, All at Once.) Catch all the fun as Jim reveals the nominations to Teal, who kept radio silence until the moment of taping. 

 

Let us know if there were any surprises or omissions that shocked you.

Spielboctagon Three: The Final Battle

Jim and Teal make it to the finish line on Steven Spielberg's filmography in this third and final episode of The Spielboctagon. All Steven's films from 1998 to the Fabelmans get covered (well, they already covered the Fabelmans on episode one.) So, get ready to find out which films Teal liked, and which ones he did not. Hint! Hint! He's not a fan of The Post.

Back in the Spielboctagon

Jim and Teal return for more Steven Spielberg mania with part two of their look at his filmography. This episode covers all Spielberg's films from 1981 through 1997. So, get ready for Raiders, E.T., Jurassic Park, Schindler's List, and more. And don't worry, there are plenty of laughs along the way.

The Fabelmans: Steven Spielberg Gets Personal

This week Jim and Teal enter the Spielboctagon. Their mission: tackle the entire Steven Spielberg filmography. Spoiler alert! They don't get very far. But in this first, of at least two episodes (who knows how long it will take them to get through every movie) they dive straight into Steven Spielberg's latest offering, The Fabelmans. 

You may not know it from the awful movie trailer, but The Fabelmans is a great film, and certainly Spielberg's most personal. Gut wrenching at times, inspiring at others, this is a movie that needs to be seen, and Jim and Teal hope you do go and search it out.

In addition to The Fabelmans, Jim and Teal tackle the early part of Spielberg's movie career, including his made for TV film, Duel, his first feature film, The Sugarland Express, his massive hits, Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and his first miss fire, the 1979 comedy, 1941.

Fascism on Film: The Mortal Storm and A Special Day

Jim and Teal begin an ongoing series dedicated to discussing Fascism on Film, and the way filmmakers handle this timely topic over the years. For this first episode they talk about two films that look at the rise of Nazism in Europe, and then the axis pact between Hitler and Mussolini. The Mortal Storm is an unsparing look at the dangers coming to Europe. Set in 1933, this film premiered in 1940, shortly after Hitler began his invasion of Europe. A Special Day takes place in 1938, on the day Hitler visited Italy to seal his agreement with Mussolini. Both films pack a punch, and Jim and Teal give them both high marks.

A Discussion on Tár

Jim and Teal focus in on one of their favorite films of 2022, Todd Field's Tár, starring Cate Blanchett in a tour-de-force performance. 

This is a continuation from the previous week's podcast, where Jim and Teal ran out of time as they were getting into this film. 

New Movies to Watch This November

There's lots of new movies out streaming right now, and a few gems that one can catch in the theaters. In this episode Jim and Teal do a bunch of capsule reviews of the following films: Weird: The Al Yankovich Story, Causeway, Don't Worry Darling, Decision to Leave, Banshees of Inisherin, Amsterdam, and Soft & Quiet.

 

That's a lot of movies! And there were so many that Jim and Teal ran out of time to talk about the movie they really wanted to talk about, Tar. They recorded it, but to give you, the listener, the full scoop, Jim and Teal opted to create a second episode which will include their entire Tar conversation. So, look for that episode in about a week or less. But for now, there are a whole heck of a lot of things you can watch during your Thanksgiving holiday.

 

Cheers!

2022: The Year of Horror

Halloween Ends, and so does Jim and Teal's month-long binge of horror movies. From the Criterion Channel's 80s collection to new horror fare like Barbarian, Pearl, and Halloween Ends, there is a lot of ground to cover. 

Jim and Teal note that 2022 is turning out to be a banner year for the horror genre with a lot of well-received, both with critics and box office, films like Barbarian and Smile, and rebooted franchises such as Hellraiser and Halloween. 

This episode packs in as many films not covered in the last episode of everything Jim and Teal watched in October.

A look at Criterion Channel’s 80s Horror Collection

That's right, it's horror month. October is a great time to catch up on horror movies, and that's exactly what Jim and Teal did. Using the Criterion Channel's 30-film 80s horror film series as their guide, Jim and Teal set out to see some horror flicks that eluded them over the years. 

The Criterion Channel's list features some real obscurities of titles Jim and Teal never heard of before. Frank Henenlotter (Basket Case, Brain Damage, Frankenhooker) may have become a new favorite of theirs.

And the collection provided opportunities for J&T to take several side trips to other horror films.

 

A spooky time should be had by all when you listen to this episode.

Waiting for Godard

The legendary filmic miscreant, Jean-Luc Godard, gets his due on Stuff We've Seen. Jim and Teal went to work, and saw a whole slew of Godard's movies. Lots of classics, and a few little-seen gems thrown into the mix. Get your Gitanes ready, head to a local cafe, and prepare to dive into a the strange cinematic world of Jean-Luc Godard.