Kelsi and Trey discuss why they are TEAM KOBA (mostly) in Matt Reeves' shakespearean, religious epic Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. We explore how the film is impressive in pacing, tone, and digital/practical world-building while also having moments of not fully realizing its character studies, especially with Koba, while still delivering one of t…

Kelsi and Trey explore the Caesar trilogy beginning with Rise of the Planet of the Apes. While this entertaining blockbuster feels more like a superhero movie than a thematically rich installment in the Apes franchise, it still rules in many ways. Andy Serkis's iconic performance as Caesar has created one of the more compelling trilogies of the 21s…

Kelsi and Trey discuss Wes Ball’s Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes as a successful adventure epic that thrills with its digital world-building and provokes with its subversive interrogations of the audience's relationship to Caesar. This is the 10th Apes installment and arguably one of the most ambitious of the 21st century; a compelling evolution…

Kelsi and Trey explore the career of Ryan Gosling through his newest semi-successful film The Fall Guy and then arguably his best performance in The Nice Guys. Gosling's career has taken many turns; from an indie darling in Half Nelson, to a stoic angry stunt driver in Drive, to the dreams of stardom in La La Land, and maybe no better than last yea…

Kelsi and Trey finish off their anti-war series and begin their Emily Blunt discussion with the very thrilling and politically complicated Denis Villeneuve's Sicario. This is a technical masterclass on several fronts; with an imposing performance from Benicio Del Toro, stunning photography from Roger Deakins, and a brutal soundtrack from the late-g…

Kelsi and Trey explore the convincing cinematic power of Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers. We also question the narrative’s internal logic with its character studies led by dynamic performances from Zendaya, Mike Faist, and (especially) Josh O’Connor. Then we discuss what makes Guadagnino’s films so compelling, from the bizarre technical motifs, the p…

We discuss one of the greatest cinematic representations of apocalyptic realism in Alfonso Cuarón’s Children of Men. This anti-war parable is covered in historical imagery and dystopian symbolism; a film subverting cautionary tale tropes with one of the most disturbing call-to-action movies ever made. Cuarón provokes contemporary conversations abou…

Kelsi and Trey react and deep dive Alex Garland’s Civil War. While a technical feat, Civil War is politically unchallenging and lacks a nuanced confrontation as an anti-war movie. Thankfully, Kirsten Dunst as a hollowed photojournalist on this road trip to D.C. with her dynamic co-stars Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny, and Stephen McKinley Henderson ke…

Kelsi and Trey discuss the divisive and widely misinterpreted Alex Garland's Men. This surrealist folk horror film uses conventions of the genre to explore the perpetual exploitation of women; depicting an absurd-level of imagery and symbolism specific to patriarchal mythology and the horror genre born out of it. Garland's Men, much like Jordan Pee…

Kelsi and Trey discuss the maze of Alex Garland's Ex Machina. We explore how this sci-fi puzzle tests the audience by provoking questions about constructs, consciousness, selective empathy, and who is guilty of exploiting the power of artificial intelligence. We also talk about Oscar Isaac's dance moves, Domhnall Gleeson's weirdo enegy, and Alicia …

Kelsi and Trey explore the most emotionally compelling and gripping movie of 2023 in Anatomy of a Fall. The film is being interpreted as a courtroom thriller and a whodunit, but its subversive focus is on the societal pressures and expectations of women, mothers, monogamy—a brilliant interrogation of genre and constructs. Triet imposes imagination …

Kelsi and Trey explore the movie landscape of 2023 by ranking our 20 favorite movies! This episode doesn't have any major-spoilers and there are tons of recommendations from the year. Time stamps for part 2 of our ranking are below. #10 (09:09) #9 (21:09) #8 (36:55) #7 (44:35) #6 (01:05:00) #5 (01:14:15) #4 (01:29:30) #3 (01:41:37) #2 (01:59:12) #1…

Kelsi and Trey explore the movie landscape of 2023 by ranking our 20 favorite movies! This episode doesn't have any major-spoilers and there are tons of recommendations from the year. Time stamps for part 1 of our ranking are below. #20 (22:00) #19 (34:40) #18 (42:00) #17 (50:27) #16 (59:45) #15 (01:04:30) #14 (01:09:45) #13 (01:19:47) #12 (01:32:3…

Kelsi and Trey give their immediate reactions to the 96th Academy Awards! We discuss the highlights of the Oscars, the nuance of Oppenheimer and Poor Things being praised, the complexities of Killers of the Flower Moon and Lily Gladstone being overlooked, the GOAT status of Justine Triet (insert P.I.M.P.), Cord Jefferson taking a shot at the indust…

Kelsi and Trey discover a throughline of Denis Villeneuve’s ambitious filmography while exploring the radical epic of ‘Dune: Part Two’. This subversive follow up to ‘Part One’ continues its indictment of fundamentalist empires through a grand scale chess game of intergalactic power. Villeneuve’s tonally ambiguous and mysterious adaptation of Frank …

Kelsi and Trey explore the universe of 'Dune' and what makes Denis Villeneuve’s ambitious past decade of blockbuster filmmaking legendary. We discuss what makes 'Dune: Part Two' an epic in scope and scale, but how it might lack the intimacy and political caution of 'Part One'. After our reaction to 'Part Two' we deep dive 'Dune: Part One' for over …

Kelsi and Trey discuss for almost 4 HOURS how 'Portrait of a Lady on Fire' is Céline Sciamma's highly successful attempt at subverting conventions across cinema, storytelling, and history at large. Noémie Merlant and Adèle Haenel invent this echo of a romance to give us one of the great masterpieces of the 21st century. Become a member of The Extra…

Kelsi and Trey discuss the informal universe of Ridley Scott and Denis Villeneuve's project of Blade Runner set in a postmodern society where a few humans play god, consumerism is religion, and all of the human condition has been reduced to constructs and commodities. A lot to explore thematically with class and gender, as well as stylistically wit…

Kelsi and Trey discuss Jonathan Demme's masterwork 'The Silence of the Lambs' starring Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins. We explore the psychological thriller/serial killer genre, the parallel of law and criminal, Clarice navigating a world of men, and the film's complicated legacy of otherness. Lots to explore, 3+ hour deep dive on Patreon! Become…

Kelsi and Trey discuss Martin Scorsese's best picture winner The Departed; a pretty extreme movie about identity and best enjoyed as an anxiety-inducing bleak comedy. We explore how its both Scorsese's messiest and possibly most rewatchable project. A cat-and-mouse thriller that devolves into a thematically complicated movie about assimilation; whe…

Kelsi and Trey discuss the Oscar nominations for the 96th Academy Awards, led by Christopher Nolan's 'Oppenheimer', Yorgos Lanthimos' 'Poor Things', Martin Scorsese's 'Killers of the Flower Moon', and Greta Gerwig's 'Barbie'. We explore all the surprises and talk about what the greatest snubs were! Become a member of The Extra Credits+ on Patreon ⁠…

Kelsi and Trey discuss how Tina Fey's newest iteration of 'Mean Girls' starring Reneé Rapp as the complex Regina George isn't as fetch as her original 2004 film starring Lindsey Lohan, Rachel McAdams, and Amanda Seyfried. After a short review of the 2024 musical Mean Girls, we deep dive the original cult classic and explore the movie's mostly-succe…

Kelsi and Trey discuss the great man myth and the underdeveloped women in Bradley Cooper's 'Maestro,' Sean Durkin's 'The Iron Claw,' and Michael Mann's 'Ferrari.' We explore the flawed lead characters of these three features led by Bradley Cooper, Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, Adam Driver, and more. While all three films are semi…

Kelsi and Trey discuss the great man myth and the underdeveloped women in Bradley Cooper's 'Maestro,' Sean Durkin's 'The Iron Claw,' and Michael Mann's 'Ferrari.' We explore the flawed lead characters of these three features led by Bradley Cooper, Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, Adam Driver, and more. While all three films are semi…

Kelsi and Trey discuss one of the most awkward live ceremonies ever put to screen. Starting with the rise of Anatomy of a Fall, then the downfall of Timothée Chalamet, and some good and bad speeches... Become a member of The Extra Credits+ on Patreon ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Patreon link: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://patreon.com/TheExtraCredits?utm_m…

Kelsi and Trey recorded a 3 hour exploration of Paul Thomas Anderson's masterpiece 'Phantom Thread' starring Daniel Day-Lewis and Vicky Krieps. They discuss how the film is revered as a meditation on the cost of romance, a deconstruction of the tortured great man myth, and how Anderson subverts our genre expectations with suggestions of a post-war …

Kelsi and Trey discuss Steven Spielberg's career, whether or not 'Catch Me If You Can' is his best movie of the 21st century, and if this is Leonardo DiCaprio's most dynamic performance. They explore the tonal complexities between this project being a cautionary tale of white privilege or a modern take on the romanticized rebel. Ultimately its fath…

Happy holidays from Rick Deckard, Roy Batty, and Ridley Scott! Kelsi and Trey discuss the atmosphere and thematic depth of one of the greatest dystopian science fiction movies ever made in Blade Runner. They unpack the wider Alien/Blade Runner universe, the effectiveness of its class and gender commentary, and whether or not Harrison Ford is ... go…

Kelsi and Trey explore the complex power dynamics of Yorgos Lanthimos' Poor Things and Ira Sachs' Passages. We begin our conversation by discussing our complicated relationship to the Emma Stone odyssey and end with the self-destructive Franz Rogowski love triangle. Both Poor Things and Passages are two of the best films of 2023, but we love one mo…

Kelsi and Trey discuss Ridley Scott and his cinematic exploration of deconstructing the biggest of ideas--maybe too big. Scott is back at 86-years-old with Napoleon, a film both fascinated and terrified by the fragility of powerful men. We unpack Scott's artistic mission and how successful his satirical vision of Napoleon is. Also, Joaquin Phoenix …

Kelsi and Trey explore the tonal ambition and struggles of Todd Haynes' newest film May December and then they navigate the epic project of Beyoncé's Renaissance. The Beyoncé Renaissance Conversation Starts at (37:48), there are small and short-lasting technical issues with our audio for the first 8 minutes of our Beyoncé discussion Become a member…

We finally discuss Trey's favorite movie of all time, Ridley Scott's Alien. This 1979 masterpiece is a claustrophobic, dreadful nightmare in space with an oddly convincing advertisement for labor unions and enough sexual symbolism to write a PhD thesis in gender and sexuality. And, oh yeah, it also subverts and revolutionizes the science fiction an…

Kelsi and Trey defend the Emerald Fennell project by exploring her interests, Promising Young Woman, and Saltburn. Her newest feature stars Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Archie Madekew, Alison Oliver, Rosamund Pike, and Carey Mulligan. Become a member of The Extra Credits+ on Patreon ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Patreon link: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://patreon.com/TheExtraC…

Kelsi and Trey discuss one of the most important movies of the 21st century in David Fincher's The Social Network, starring Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield. We explore how the film successfully investigates a modern paradigm shift of authority led by a semi-fictionalized Mark Zuckerberg, who represents the exponential inhuman power of the inter…

Kelsi and Trey discuss David Fincher's masterpiece Zodiac and explore the multi-genre epic starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr., and Mark Ruffalo. This is a commentary and deep dive of the perfect political thriller, it captures the obsessive, paranoid American conscience attempting to make sense out of a country so broken that its own peopl…

Trey is joined by friend of the pod James Steck to talk about David Fincher's semi-successful satire Fight Club starring Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, and Helena Bonham Carter. Follow James Steck on Letterboxd here Where to find James:Instagram: ⁠@jamodsteck⁠ Long Now Contributor page: ⁠https://longnow.org/people/james-steck/⁠ Quail Bell Magazine - Thr…

Trey speaks with Osage consultant Christopher Côté about his work on the film and why the movie was a complicated balancing act of character studies. Become a member of The Extra Credits+ on Patreon ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠ Patreon link: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://patreon.com/TheExtraCredits?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_…

Kelsi and Trey have a very exciting Halloween conversation about Ari Aster's disturbed folk lore fairy tale Midsommar. This is a live watch and deep dive of his famous religious break up epic, so you can watch with us as we witness Florence Pugh find a new family, or you can listen along as we slowly lose ourselves to this hellish Wizard of Oz. Bec…

Kelsi and Trey are overwhelmed by Martin Scorsese's masterpiece about the cost of the American Dream. Goodfellas might be the most important film they've ever covered...here is 3 hours about a movie we could've talked about for 6 hours! (insert Ray Liotta laughing gif, a Robert De Niro stare down, and an explosive Joe Pesci) Become a member of The …

Kelsi and Trey examine the 30-year project of David Fincher's movies and how his most recent film 'The Killer' (no spoilers) adds to the mind games of his filmography. Also, Michael Fassbender is back as David from Prometheus, so that's sick. Become a member of The Extra Credits+ on Patreon ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠ Patreon link: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://patreon.com/TheExtr…

Kelsi and Trey explore Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon as a semi-successful epic portrait of the systematic attacks on the Osage Nation and the racist robbery of their oil-induced wealth in 1920s Oklahoma. When the audience is shown this terror through Mollie’s (Lily Gladstone) eyes, the movie triumphs. However, when the film turns int…

Is this the most divisive movie of the 21st century? We talk about the wildly different interpretations of Martin Scorsese's bookend to his informal crime trilogy of Goodfellas, Casino, and The Wolf of Wall Street by exploring the symbolism of Leonardo DiCaprio's Jordan Belfort and his acolytes. Become a member of The Extra Credits+ on Patreon ⁠⁠he…

The Martin Scorsese Movie Draft is here! In preparation for 'Killers of the Flower Moon' we're joined by some of our favorite film commentators Mia Vicino and Mitchell Beaupre of The Letterboxd Show to talk Martin Scorsese! Vote for your favorite team on our Spotify poll or in this Google Form Become a member of The Extra Credits+ on Patreon ⁠⁠⁠⁠he…

Kelsi and Trey talk David Gordon Green’s The Exorcist: Believer and then deep dive William Friedkin’s The Exorcist!Become a member of The Extra Credits+ on Patreon ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon link: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://patreon.com/TheExtraCredits?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=join_link⁠⁠Send requests, qu…

Kelsi and Trey explore Denis Villeneuve's Prisoners (2013) for its 10-year anniversary and dive into the symbolism-filled story. Prisoners is one of the best psychological thrillers of the 21st Century with two incredibly memorable performances from Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal. Become a member of The Extra Credits+ on Patreon ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠ Patreo…

Kelsi and Trey talk the complicated history of Roald Dahl, the politics of Wes Anderson, and why we think Fantastic Mr. Fox is one of the best animated films ever made! Become a member of The Extra Credits+ on Patreon ⁠⁠here⁠⁠ Patreon link: ⁠⁠https://patreon.com/TheExtraCredits?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=creatorshare…

Is this an optimistic or tragic coming-of-age movie? A little of both! We talk about why Moonrise Kingdom is our favorite Wes Anderson movie. Become a member of The Extra Credits+ on Patreon ⁠here⁠ and then vote for our October Patreon Horror Movie in the Spotify poll below! Patreon link: ⁠https://patreon.com/TheExtraCredits?utm_medium=clipboard_co…

Become a member of The Extra Credits+ on Patreon here and then vote for our October Patreon Horror Movie in the Spotify poll below! Patreon link: https://patreon.com/TheExtraCredits?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=join_link Send requests, questions, and thoughts to our email: extracreditsp…

Kelsi and Trey answer listener questions for their (very late) 100th episode mailbag! There is also a special Patreon Extra Credits+ announcement of future bonus episodes.Send requests, questions, and thoughts to our email: extracreditspod@gmail.comPlease rate and review us on your podcast platform!⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠Follow our Letterboxd…

Kelsi and Trey answer listener questions for their (very late) 100th episode mailbag! There is also a special Patreon Extra Credits+ announcement of future bonus episodes. Send requests, questions, and thoughts to our email: extracreditspod@gmail.com Please rate and review us on your podcast platform! Apple Podcasts Spotify Follow our Letterboxd: T…