Episodes
-
BELIEVE THE UNBELIEVABLE
DOUBLE FILM EXPLORERS, YAYYYYY! This week, we wrap up our Oscars Roulette with Ang Lee's foray into 3D, LIFE OF PI. We break down our perspectives on the 3D craze of the early 2010s, our feelings about the film's visuals and discussion of religion, and Joey continuously insists that Ryan Reynolds is in the movie (he's not, we checked). We also talk about that year's Oscars, randomly divert into the filmography of Ben Affleck, and Joey starts watching Adolescence.
Chapters:
00:00:00 Intro
00:03:14 What We Watched
00:10:52 Life of Pi
01:11:18 Final Thoughts + Ratings
01:20:05 Next Month's Theme + Outro
Email us at [email protected] with any feedback, suggestions, or messages that we can read on the show!
Links:
Jackson on Letterboxd
Joey on Letterboxd
Josh on Letterboxd
Sutherland on Letterboxd
Film Explorers is mixed and edited by Josh :)
-
THE RETURN OF THE GREAT ADVENTURE.
This week, we're covering one of the most famous movies ever made ever, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. Again, what do you want me to say? We talk about how much this movie has changed our lives, film history as a whole, and also Nazi monkeys.
Chapters:
00:00:00 Intro
00:02:56 What We Watched
00:06:52 Raiders of the Lost Ark
01:16:09 Final Thoughts + Ratings
01:25:27 Outro
Email us at [email protected] with any feedback, suggestions, or messages that we can read on the show!
Links:
Jackson on Letterboxd
Joey on Letterboxd
Josh on Letterboxd
Sutherland on Letterboxd
Film Explorers is mixed and edited by Josh :)
-
Missing episodes?
-
HOW DID WE END UP HERE?
This week, we go back to 2015's winner of numerous categories at the Academy Awards, BIRDMAN or (THE UNEXPECTED VIRTUE OF IGNORANCE). We talk about if we consider a pretentious movie inherently bad, the one-take gimmick and if it's enough to carry a movie, Michael Keaton's career, and how our thoughts have evolved since we watched it for the first time years ago. We also catch up after a week off, talk about our various trips and screenings, and run through our thoughts on countless new releases like Mickey 17, The Electric State, All We Imagine as Light, Opus, and more.
Chapters:
00:00:00 Intro
00:02:56 Jackson's and Joey's Roulette Categories
00:06:52 Mickey 17 Talk
00:18:09 What We Watched
00:41:46 Birdman
01:35:24 Final Thoughts + Ratings
01:42:04 Outro
Email us at [email protected] with any feedback, suggestions, or messages that we can read on the show!
Links:
Jackson on Letterboxd
Joey on Letterboxd
Josh on Letterboxd
Sutherland on Letterboxd
Film Explorers is mixed and edited by Josh :)
-
TRUST LOVE ALL THE WAY
This week, we start our Oscars Roulette rolls with Barry Jenkins' adaptation of James Baldwin's masterwork IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK. We talk about Regina King's stunning Oscar-winning performance, one of the greatest musical scores of all time, and Jenkins' cinematic language of revolutionizing the romanticism. We also debrief the Oscars ceremony, talk about a new release or two, catch up on Sutherland's Through the Years challenge, and getting way too busy recently.
Chapters:
00:00:00 Intro
00:03:58 Next Week's Category
00:07:44 Oscars Debrief
00:22:07 What We Watched
00:43:38 Sutherland's Pick
00:48:28 If Beale Street Could Talk
01:37:51 Final Thoughts + Ratings
01:45:48 Outro
Email us at [email protected] with any feedback, suggestions, or messages that we can read on the show!
Links:
Joey's previous review for If Beale Street Could Talk
Jackson on Letterboxd
Joey on Letterboxd
Josh on Letterboxd
Sutherland on Letterboxd
Film Explorers is mixed and edited by Josh :)
-
EXPECT THE IMPOSSIBLE AGAIN!
This week, we're wrapping up one of the most chaotic months of the show so far with a film from a franchise we've been talking about since the very beginning of the show, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE II. We talk about mashing up a massive American franchise with a director with such a distinct style, what works for some of us, what really doesn't work for others, and why the MI franchise is so special compared to so many others of its sort. We also do a bit of briefing for the Oscars, Josh watches Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, Sutherland and Joey continue watching Dune, and we launch a really fun theme for March.
Chapters:
00:00:00 Intro
00:02:52 Next Month's Theme
00:08:51 Oscars Briefing
00:19:48 What We Watched
00:43:34 Mission: Impossible II
01:22:22 Final Thoughts + Ratings
01:34:53 Josh's Pick + Outro
Email us at [email protected] with any feedback, suggestions, or messages that we can read on the show!
Links:
Jackson on Letterboxd
Joey on Letterboxd
Josh on Letterboxd
Sutherland on Letterboxd
Film Explorers is mixed and edited by Josh :)
-
YOU'LL LAUGH UNTIL YOU DIE...THEN YOU'LL RISE FROM THE DEAD AND LAUGH AGAIN!
This week, we cover our first Mel Brooks movie in the history of the show, his spoof of Bram Stoker's classic DRACULA: DEAD AND LOVING IT! We do a bit of comparing to the book, drop hot takes about a certain comedy legend, and talk about why certain types of comedy work and some just don't for a couple of us. We also catch up with some Best Picture nominees before the Oscars, Josh makes some huge progress on Twin Peaks, and Sutherland and Joey debrief the newest entry into the MCU.
Chapters:
00:00:00 Intro
00:04:24 What We Watched
00:31:24 Dracula: Dead and Loving It
00:56:09 Final Thoughts + Ratings
01:02:23 Emails from our Friends <3
01:05:17 Joey's Pick + Outro
Email us at [email protected] with any feedback, suggestions, or messages that we can read on the show!
Links:
Jackson on Letterboxd
Joey on Letterboxd
Josh on Letterboxd
Sutherland on Letterboxd
Film Explorers is mixed and edited by Josh :)
-
LIVE LARGE.
I don't even know what there is to say. We're covering the big dog movie. He's a dog and he's big. That's about it.
Chapters:
00:00:00 Intro
00:01:51 What We Watched
00:23:18 Marmaduke
00:59:19 Final Thoughts + Ratings
01:10:37 Emails from our Friends <3
01:13:09 Jackson's Pick + Outro
Email us at [email protected] with any feedback, suggestions, or messages that we can read on the show!
Links:
Jackson on Letterboxd
Joey on Letterboxd
Josh on Letterboxd
Sutherland on Letterboxd
Film Explorers is mixed and edited by Josh :)
-
A WORLD BEYOND YOUR EXPERIENCE, BEYOND YOUR IMAGINATION.
In one of our most contentious episodes to date, this week, we are breaking down David Lynch's widely maligned but potentially misunderstood adaptation of Frank Herbert's DUNE. To no one's surprise, we get into the weeds about the details of what does and doesn't work, Josh tries to redeem one of the most hated films in Explorers history, and Sutherland goes on a rampage tearing it to shreds.
Chapters:
00:00:00 Intro + Sutherland's Pick for Next Week
00:10:18 What We Watched
00:29:30 Dune
01:30:57 Final Thoughts + Ratings
01:47:59 Outro
Email us at [email protected] with any feedback, suggestions, or messages that we can read on the show!
Links:Josh discussing various adaptations of Dune on the Through the Lens podcast about three years ago
Jackson on Letterboxd
Joey on Letterboxd
Josh on Letterboxd
Sutherland on Letterboxd
Film Explorers is mixed and edited by Josh :)
-
A LOVE STORY IN THE CITY OF DREAMS.
This week, we wrap up our Letterboxd Top 250 month by covering our first in the filmography of the totemic artist David Lynch with his magnum opus MULHOLLAND DRIVE. We talk about films being beyond words, discuss our feelings after his recent passing, and how his unique perspective on the world is something we will never really see again. Much less important but we also debrief the Oscar nominations and talk about some new releases at the top of the show as well as announcing the next theme.
Chapters:
00:00:00 Intro
00:02:35 Next Month's Theme + Josh's Pick
00:10:18 What We Watched
00:17:02 Oscar Noms Reactions
00:24:10 What We Watched (continued)
00:31:10 Mulholland Drive
01:08:36 Final Thoughts + Ratings
01:20:48 Outro
Email us at [email protected] with any feedback, suggestions, or messages that we can read on the show!
Links:
Jackson on Letterboxd
Joey on Letterboxd
Josh on Letterboxd
Sutherland on Letterboxd
Film Explorers is mixed and edited by Josh :)
-
This week, we're continuing to roll through the Letterboxd Top 250 with Andrei Tarkovsky's STALKER! We get as philosophical as you'd expect us to about the meaning of it all (or if there even is one), how we feel about cinema like this, and what makes it all so difficult. We also catch up with some big new releases like Hard Truths, Better Man, and Nickel Boys, Jackson finally finishes How I Met Your Mother, and Josh and Sutherland start their journey through cinema history from the beginning.
Chapters:
00:00:00 Intro
00:03:28 What We Watched
00:26:25 "Through The Years" Recap
00:33:20 Joey's Pick for Next Week
00:37:16 Stalker
01:15:51 Final Thoughts + Ratings
01:25:55 Outro
Email us at [email protected] with any feedback, suggestions, or messages that we can read on the show!
Links:
Jackson on Letterboxd
Joey on Letterboxd
Josh on Letterboxd
Sutherland on Letterboxd
Film Explorers is mixed and edited by Josh :)
-
THERE WILL BE GREED. THERE WILL BE VENGEANCE.
DRAINAGEEEEEEEEEEE!!! What can I even say about this one?! This week, we're covering one of the seminal classics of contemporary American cinema, Paul Thomas Anderson's THERE WILL BE BLOOD. What do you want me to say?? We also talk about Young Sheldon and Mufasa, so there's plenty of amazing media on the show this week...
Chapters:
00:00:00 Intro
00:03:03 What We Watched
00:27:22 Jackson's Pick for Next Week
00:32:54 There Will Be Blood
01:08:52 Final Thoughts + Ratings
01:21:42 Outro
Email us at [email protected] with any feedback, suggestions, or messages that we can read on the show!
Links:
Jackson on Letterboxd
Joey on Letterboxd
Josh on Letterboxd
Sutherland on Letterboxd
Film Explorers is mixed and edited by Josh :)
-
Welcome back to our first episode of the new year as we begin our journey through some favorites from the Letterboxd Top 250 for the month of January, starting with Park Chan-wook's THE HANDMAIDEN. We talk about filmmakers tricking their audiences, male gaze, and lesbians staying winning. We also recap everything we watched over our hiatus, Sutherland brings out his Nosferatu accent, Jackson watches a ton of anime, and Josh catches up with a ton of new releases.
Chapters:
00:00:00 Intro
00:03:00 What We Watched
00:31:25 The Handmaiden
01:12:33 Final Thoughts + Ratings
01:14:51 Sutherland's Pick for Next Week + Outro
Email us at [email protected] with any feedback, suggestions, or messages that we can read on the show!
Links:
Jackson on Letterboxd
Joey on Letterboxd
Josh on Letterboxd
Sutherland on Letterboxd
Film Explorers is mixed and edited by Josh :)
-
Happy holidays from the four of us! As is tradition every December on the show, we sit down for one big dive into all of our picks for the holiday season in one massive Holiday Special. Jackson walks us through what may have been a miscalculated pick with BETTER WATCH OUT, Josh brings us through the darkly comedic and horrifying world of EYES WIDE SHUT, Joey cozies up the vibe with RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER, and Sutherland brings everything together with some solid Christmas classic feels with the 1938 adaptation of A CHRISTMAS CAROL.
Chapters:
00:00:00 Intro
00:03:38 Better Watch Out
00:30:28 Eyes Wide Shut
01:01:44 Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
01:24:21 A Christmas Carol
01:42:04 Outro
Email us at [email protected] with any feedback, suggestions, or messages that we can read on the show!
Links:
Jackson on Letterboxd
Joey on Letterboxd
Josh on Letterboxd
Sutherland on Letterboxd
Film Explorers is mixed and edited by Josh :)
-
PREPARE TO BE ENTERTAINED.
This week we're wrapping up our 2024 slate of films by covering the last in our Denzel Washington marathon, Ridley Scott's GLADIATOR II. We talk about our complicated feelings about the first Gladiator, Denzel absolutely eating the rest of this cast alive, rhinos in the Colosseum, and electing a monkey to be emperor. We also debrief Josh's experience with Wicked, litigate the "Midley Scott" claims, and prepare for our final episode of the year: the 2nd Annual Film Explorers Holiday Spectacular.
Chapters:
00:00:00 Intro
00:04:49 What We Watched
00:24:09 Gladiator II
01:21:27 Final Thoughts + Ratings
01:33:33 Outro
Email us at [email protected] with any feedback, suggestions, or messages that we can read on the show!
Links:
Jackson on Letterboxd
Joey on Letterboxd
Josh on Letterboxd
Sutherland on Letterboxd
Film Explorers is mixed and edited by Josh :)
-
This week, we're wrapping up our retrospective of the films of Denzel Washington with Joel Coen's (and Shakespeare's) THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH. We talk about Joey's obsession with German expressionism, Kathryn Hunter always going underappreciated, and if having the most insane style imaginable is reason enough to give us yet another Shakespeare adaptation. We also talk about our slate for next month, Sutherland's movie challenge for 2025, and catching up with new releases like Anora, Heretic, A Real Pain, and Emilia Pérez.
Chapters:
00:00:00 Intro
00:04:51 What We Watched
00:35:33 Sutherland's 2025 Film Challenge
00:41:07 Our December Picks
00:51:05 The Tragedy of Macbeth
01:29:09 Final Thoughts + Ratings
01:37:58 Outro
Email us at [email protected] with any feedback, suggestions, or messages that we can read on the show!
Links:
Jackson on Letterboxd
Joey on Letterboxd
Josh on Letterboxd
Sutherland on Letterboxd
Film Explorers is mixed and edited by Josh :)
-
PASSION. TRADITION. MIX IT UP.
In a typical hard left turn for us out of the action genre, this week we cover Mira Nair's MISSISSIPPI MASALA, a stunningly steamy romance set very near to where a lot of us grew up. We talk about diving into a West African history that we aren't familiar with, Denzel at his most charismatic, and how romance films work best when you're unbelievably attracted to both leads. Josh also walks us through Venom 3, Here, and Anora, Joey checks out Conclave and Trap, Jackson talks comfort television, and Sutherland finishes the Human Condition trilogy.
Chapters:
00:00:00 Intro
00:03:16 Sutherland's Thoughts on The Book of Eli
00:05:28 What We Watched
00:38:25 Mississippi Masala
01:17:17 Final Thoughts + Ratings
01:26:27 Outro
Email us at [email protected] with any feedback, suggestions, or messages that we can read on the show!
Links:
Jackson on Letterboxd
Joey on Letterboxd
Josh on Letterboxd
Sutherland on Letterboxd
Film Explorers is mixed and edited by Josh :)
-
SOME WILL KILL TO HAVE IT. HE WILL KILL TO PROTECT IT.
As our Denzel Washington marathon continues, we move forward a bit in his career and cover the Hughes Brothers' THE BOOK OF ELI. We talk expressions of religion in modern film, Denzel at debatably his coolest, and finally getting Mank himself on the show. We also talk about being way too busy to watch as many movies as usual, catching up on The Penguin and Agatha All Long, and the weird feeling of returning to the original Film Explorers hosts for a week.
Chapters:
00:00:00 Intro
00:03:19 What We Watched
00:24:16 The Book of Eli
01:18:16 Final Thoughts + Ratings
01:25:50 Outro
Email us at [email protected] with any feedback, suggestions, or messages that we can read on the show!
Links:
Jackson on Letterboxd
Joey on Letterboxd
Josh on Letterboxd
Sutherland on Letterboxd
Film Explorers is mixed and edited by Josh :)
-
CREASY'S ART IS DEATH, AND HE IS ABOUT TO PAINT HIS MASTERPIECE.
Spooktober is over, and as we approach the release of one of the year's biggest films in Gladiator II, we're knocking out some blindspots in the filmography of one of the titans of the film industry: Denzel Washington. This week we tackle his 2004 film from the great Tony Scott MAN ON FIRE. We talk revenge narratives, 2000s editing styles, strange Walken performances, and Denzel chewing the scenery every chance he gets. We also talk new releases like We Live in Time, Conclave, and Venom: The Last Dance, break down the legacies of 80s racism through Soul Man, and of course, we revisit Moonfall.
Chapters:
00:00:00 Intro
00:02:12 What We Watched
00:33:44 Man On Fire
01:21:28 Final Thoughts + Ratings
01:27:29 Outro
Email us at [email protected] with any feedback, suggestions, or messages that we can read on the show!
Links:
Jackson on Letterboxd
Joey on Letterboxd
Josh on Letterboxd
Sutherland on Letterboxd
Film Explorers is mixed and edited by Josh :)
-
FEAR WHAT'S INSIDE.
In what will probably become one of our most controversial episodes so far, we finally tackle one of our nemeses (nemesises? nemesi?!) Alex Garland and his 2018 sci-fi horror ANNIHILATION. We talk about not seeing the vision, how digital cinematography can make or break your movie, and why some people just need a new writer. We also talk about Saturday Night, Passing, Evil Does Not Exist, and The Amityville Horror. And we announce November's theme and all of our picks for the month right at the top of the show!
Chapters:
00:00:00 Intro
00:02:20 November's Theme + All of our Picks
00:10:20 What We Watched
00:32:28 Annihilation
01:19:58 Final Thoughts + Ratings
01:30:27 Outro
Email us at [email protected] with any feedback, suggestions, or messages that we can read on the show!
Links:
Jackson on Letterboxd
Joey on Letterboxd
Josh on Letterboxd
Sutherland on Letterboxd
Film Explorers is mixed and edited by Josh :)
-
HOW DO YOU KILL SOMETHING THAT CAN'T POSSIBLY BE ALIVE?
After some more adventurous choices the last few weeks, Josh brings us back to basics with some more Stephen King and a second John Carpenter in 1983's CHRISTINE. We talk about what it means to gender your vehicles, having the worst most awful protagonist imaginable, and how Christine shapes up among the rest of Carpenter's films. We also spend some time on The Apprentice (use those chapters, folks), talk some other horror films we've been watching, and break down our recent television watching at the top of the episode.
Chapters:
00:00:00 Intro
00:02:19 What We Watched
00:19:06 The Apprentice Talk
00:32:28 What We Watched (continued)
00:40:16 Sutherland's Pick for Next Week
00:44:58 Christine
01:22:09 Final Thoughts + Ratings
01:32:12 Outro
Email us at [email protected] with any feedback, suggestions, or messages that we can read on the show!
Links:
Jackson on Letterboxd
Joey on Letterboxd
Josh on Letterboxd
Sutherland on Letterboxd
Film Explorers is mixed and edited by Josh :)
- Show more
