Movie Review Podcasts

As we head into the final two months of the year, and the weeks in which many Oscar-nominated movies will be released, I'll share some of my favorite podcasts for movies reviews.

The Comedy Film Nerds

I have been listening to The Comedy Film Nerds since 2010, the year The King's Speech came out, when they were guests on Marc Maron's podcast, WTF, to discuss the Oscars.  And while WTF has gone the way of the occasional listen, the CFN are a mainstay in my cultural consumption.

L.A.-based hosts Graham Elwood and Chris Mancini mostly enjoy comic-book movies and tearing apart summer blockbusters.  They also keep their show clearly focused on significant movies of any genre.  Their show usually includes a guest from the entertainment or film industry, and over the hour-ish episode the three discuss several new releases, including Netflix releases, as well as recently released trailers and movies on Blue-Ray and DVD. 

This podcast, available at iTunes, is a great way to keep current on the film scene, and identify movies that you want to see on the big screen.  

Chris and Graham are fun, funny, and down-to-earth.  Genuine D-list Hollywood celebrities, they certainly have their feet in the real world.  As well as artists, writers, comics and film creators in their own right, and they lend this expertise to their analysis of movies. 

They also host the L.A. Podcast Festival. 

The CFN show also have “spoiler episodes” in which they discuss all of the details of a designated movie—making it possible to feel as though you “get” a move that you haven't seen nor have any interest in seeing.  Their most recent spoiler episode is for Bohemian Rhapsody, a brutally long documentary about the band Queen; something that I can't see myself sitting through but appreciated listening to their in-depth review of. 

Little Gold Men

This Vanity Fair podcast focuses primarily on the Oscar Race and analyzes various movies and festivals and actors through the lens of how they'll fare at the Academy Awards.  The four panelists have a tendency to talk very, very quickly, sometimes with really bad vocal fry.  They can come off a bit like pop culture know-it-alls, in some esoteric world where the rest of us aren't.  

But it's a very good way to stay current on what movies are in the Oscar race and to know about the must-see movies each year. 

They also frequently interview actors or directors.

Little Gold Men is also available at iTunes.  

Pop Culture Happy Hour

In the photo above from one of PCHH's live shows, guest Audi Cornish sits on the far right.  

This trio has been around for a while as well; I've been listening since their very first episodes, around when Inception was released (and the same time I started listening to the CFN).  Fun-loving Stephen Thompson, fearless host Linda Holmes and cynic Glen Weldon comprise the panel, with almost always a guest in the 4th chair.  (It used to include a forth member who left due to a mid-life crisis.)  

The show consists of a critique of a recent show or movie, or other significant goings-on in pop-culture such as the Super Bowl, Grammys, or Oscars. 

They also always have as as great segment called "What's Making Us Happy" in which each panelist shares something in pop culture they're enjoying.  Some shares have included a new cover for "The Thong Song", Colin Quinn's Twitter Feed, and the 2018 release of William Jackson Harper's fun video of Earth, Wind and Fire's song, September (21st).  

PCHH is not only a great place to go to for movie reviews, but also to discover enjoyable pop culture tidbits you otherwise would have missed. 

They also post articles on pop-culture at their blog, MonkeySee.

~

There you have it; three of my mainstays.  I'd be lost and adrift w/out these shows, much as I felt when Charlie Rose Show was cancelled. 

Do you have any pop-culture podcasts you enjoy?