It's a good year to hold fast to traditions that bring us joy and what is more joyful than the giving of shorts? Nothing! Shortgiving Five is here and we have another wide ranging conversation of various short films to share with each other. This year's shorts are: Lover, Lovers, Loving Love (dir. Jodie Mack)-Not available to the public, Balloonfes…

There are so many movies this fall! We talk a few Chicago Film Festival titles like DRY LEAF and more on IS THIS THING ON? and get into discussions of all sorts of other movies like MIROIRS NO. 3, SENTIMENTAL VALUE, IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT, DIE MY LOVE, BUGONIA, IF I HAD LEGS I'D KICK YOU, BLUE MOON and much much more! Our twitter is @CannesIKickIt…

The fall regional festivals have been doing their thing and that includes the city of Chicago. Emilio has been on the ground and offers up his report on seeing FATHER MOTHER SISTER BROTHER, THE MASTERMIND, SENTIMENTAL VALUE, THE SECRET AGENT, IF I HAD LEGS I'D KICK YOU, and, of course, IS THIS THING ON? Andy is mostly here to get all your questions…

As a new People's Choice Winner has been crowned and all the stars have left Toronto, so too has Andy returned from his pilgrimage to the festival. He and Emilio got on the line to break down everything he saw, from new films from Park Chan-Wook, Richard Linklater, and Claire Denis, to the people's choice winner HAMNET. Documentaries, undistributed…

Fall Festival Season is in FULL SWING. Andy is ACTIVELY AT TIFF. So you KNOW what that means. IT IS TIME FOR THE 2024 CIKI AWARDS JURY. That's right, the shared list of movies we all have seen from 2024 is on the table, and we are giving a festival-style awards slate. Who will take home the coveted Palme D'Ollie? There's only ONE way to find out. N…

With a full TIFF Schedule announced and most of the NYFF lineup in place, we take a look at the full picture. J Catherine and Andy talk about Andy's upcoming visit to TIFF, using the wonderful resource of tiffr to see what should be on Andy's shortlist and what his ideal schedule might look like. Up top, some thoughts on the latest Spike Lee Joint,…

As we move ever closer to a full fall festival lineup, the gang comes together to discuss a bunch more TIFF titles and the NYFF Main Slate, before moving into a game designed to test their knowledge of TIFF movies from Actors Turned Directors. And some discussion of Alex Ross Perry's Pavements up top now that everyone on the pod has seen it! Our tw…

Announcement after announcement after announcement is upon us. There were like 3 or 4 major festival announcements between when we recorded this episode and when it's coming out so we will get to those NEXT TIME. Please enjoy our brief look at LOCARNO, and a deeper look at VENICE and TIFF and some assorted speculation about other stuff happening th…

Wes Anderson is punctual! Always happy to have a festival premiere and then be in wide release within mere weeks, his latest THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME is now in theaters and ALL FOUR HOSTS had an opportunity to see, so we naturally come together to discuss. We talk about Anderson's structural choices, his ideas on faith and religion, and his use of vio…

The 2025 Cannes Festival has ended! Who got buzz? Who's been bought? Who won the Palme? Emilio, Cullen and Andy look at all the competition films, how the critics reacted and what won the big prizes, and talk about distribution plans for many of the buzziest festival titles. We say "Mubi" "Neon" or "Neon and Mubi" several times each on this episode…

The Cannes Lineup is complete and the schedule is out, and we have a jury, so J. Catherine and Andy cover all the things of note there before the stars start arriving on the croisette next week. And then J. Catherine has been seeing a handful of things at the Chicago Critics Festival, including SORRY, BABY, FANTASY LIFE, OBEX, and FAMILIAR TOUCH. A…

Cannes continues to take shape with a Director's Fortnight line up with a few titles to note. And there's an exciting new movie that's a big hit in theaters from a filmmaker with a festival background. We talk about Ryan Coogler's SINNERS, how it functions as a horror or action movie, how the thematic material is sitting with us, and the fascinatin…

The 2025 Cannes Lineup is here! Who's in? Who's out? Who will win the Palme? Emilio and Andy look into all the competition films, take a peak at the other lineups including the coveted Cannes Premieres slate, and talk about what's still out there that might still get added and what's not done yet. Our twitter is @CannesIKickIt Our bluesky is @Canne…

It is the time of year where we all go a little mad, what with it being the month of March. We are celebrating by going far up our own butts and determining the greatest of the CIKI in-jokes and obsessions. Play along won't you? And let us know where we go wrong! View the bracket HERE Our twitter is @CannesIKickIt Our bluesky is @CannesIKickIt Our …

We gather to discuss the new Bong Joon-Ho film Mickey 17 as well as Holes, Lost, and Adam McKay. Do it up! Our twitter is @CannesIKickIt Our bluesky is @CannesIKickIt Our instagram is @CIKIPod Our letterboxd is CIKIPod Enjoying the show? Feel free to send a few bucks our way on Ko-fi. Thanks to Tree Related for our theme song Our hosts are @andytge…

It's post-OSCARS WEEKEND. To celebrate, we play the second half of the game Andy put together last week, a little Festival Oscars Guessing Game for Emilio and Cullen to duke it out over and decide the ultimate champion. Please don't pay TOO close attention to the scores, but we have some fun puzzling over how big a festival imprint some of this yea…

It's OSCARS WEEKEND and to celebrate, Andy has put together a little Festival Oscars Guessing Game for Emilio and Cullen to duke it out over. Please don't pay TOO close attention to the scores, but we have some fun puzzling over how big a festival imprint some of this year's nominees have, and where those imprints fall! Our twitter is @CannesIKickI…

J. Kim Murphy from Variety joins us, to pitch Richard Linklater movies based on names and ideas pulled from hats. Plus our first taste of Cannes 2025 news! Our bluesky is @CannesIKickIt Our instagram is @CIKIPod Our letterboxd is CIKIPod Enjoying the show? Feel free to send a few bucks our way on Ko-fi. Thanks to Tree Related for our theme song Our…

In honor of the SNL 50th anniversary we decide to pair Cannes Best Director Winners with SNL cast members to make the movies of our dreams. Happy Valentines Day lovebirds! Our twitter is @CannesIKickIt Our bluesky is @CannesIKickIt Our instagram is @CIKIPod Our letterboxd is CIKIPod Enjoying the show? Feel free to send a few bucks our way on Ko-fi.…

Sundance has put another chapter in the books, and we're here to talk about it! Andy saw five things at the Virtual fest this year, so he shares his thoughts on TWINLESS, LOVE BROOKLYN, SORRY BABY, BUBBLE & SQUEAK, and ZODIAC KILLER PROJECT with Cullen. The two also discuss many of the award winners. Our twitter is @CannesIKickIt Our bluesky is @Ca…

We're back! And once again looking forward in a new way! We've prepped a little quiz for each other for us to share and discuss movies we expect in the next 12 months or so, so join in and guess along and see how well you know what cinematographers and composers are attached to what projects! Our twitter is @CannesIKickIt Our bluesky is @CannesIKic…

A WARNING TO ANY LISTENERS WHO DON'T LIKE THE SOUND OF EATING ON MIC: THIS MAY NOT BE THE EPISODE FOR YOU. As the year ends and we look back and ahead, a persistent question comes to mind: what's up with Apple Butter? Enter the AppleButtertacular! We've cooked it, we've cooked with it, we've spread it on bread and other things, Andy's gonna spoon s…

We've got a Sundance lineup, a long conversation about movie theater food, and a few Catchupcember chek-in's. Sorry it was late! Our twitter is @CannesIKickIt Our bluesky is @CannesIKickIt Our instagram is @CIKIPod Our letterboxd is CIKIPod Enjoying the show? Feel free to send a few bucks our way on Ko-fi. Thanks to Tree Related for our theme song …

As the end of the year approaches, we take another crack at this film festival programming thing. Where will we go? Who will we book? How many live events will we hold? How early does Cullen expect us to get up? All these questions and more addressed in this rollicking event planning episode. If you would like to access the UNCENSORED VERSION pleas…

Once a year we gather around as friends, even including you fair listener and we feast on the wonderful world of short films, its Shortsgiving everyone! Only around for one day a year. This year our selection spans 70 years of film history. Our selections are Spook Sport(1939) by Mary Ellen Bute[as found on Youtube], A Loaf of Bread(1960) by Jan Ne…

We are in the thick of prestige release season, so we have the opportunity to look at some very prominent festival players that are not available for general audiences. Jesse and Andy have discussions about A REAL PAIN, ANORA, and BLITZ, all now available in theaters or on streaming. We also offer a small DOG ON TRIAL update and go long on Special …

DISCLAIMER: Any person represented on this podcast is TRUE TO THEMSELVES! After waking up extra early to the first bit of news about the winter festivals, Andy and Cullen dig into Alfonso Cuarón's newest work, AppleTV+'s DISCLAIMER. We talk about the set up of the show, the performances of Cate Blanchett and Kevin Kline, the mix of tone and techniq…

This episode is a cold open that is about 8 minutes of VENOM: THE LAST DANCE spoilers, then about 45 minutes of earnest discussion of Robert Zemeckis's HERE, and then 4 minutes of special presentations that only obliquely reference the state of the world. It's just J Catherine and Andy! Hope all our listeners are doing well and enjoy! Our twitter i…

This week on the podcast we start off by talking about Cannes title Rumors directed by Guy Maddin, Evan, and Galen Johnson. Then we talk about Alex Ross Perry's Pavements, a documentary about the legendary 90's band that premiered at Venice this year. Our twitter is @CannesIKickIt Our instagram is @CIKIPod Our letterboxd is CIKIPod Enjoying the sho…

Emilio and Cullen chat about some films that they've seen at the Chicago International Film Festival! Do it up! Our twitter is @CannesIKickIt Our instagram is @CIKIPod Our letterboxd is CIKIPod Enjoying the show? Feel free to send a few bucks our way on Ko-fi. Thanks to Tree Related for our theme song Our hosts are @andytgerm @clatchley @imlaughalo…

The Chicago International Film Festival is picking up and this week we hear from Cullen about Hard Truths and Nickel Boys. We also dig into two big questions: if we were having a birthday dinner with Andy would he want us to tell the restaurant it was his birthday, and should we be a podcast about butter? Weigh in on our socials with #ButterYes or …

Jesse spent a weekend in Baltimore to see a whole mess of films at New/Next and caught up with one movie at the AFI Latin American Festival as well. Andy has seen a few festival wide releases. Emilio's hanging out. We finally address the big Orizzonti Extra news that's been out there. Long Live Norbert Leo Butz! Jesse's Movies- New/Next: The Human …

This week we wrap up the last of what J. Catherine saw at TIFF talking about two of her favorite movies of the festival, The Brutalist and Measures for a Funeral. We also discuss recent casting and production news about some of our favorite directors and talk about Entourage again for some reason? Our twitter is @CannesIKickIt Our instagram is @CIK…

We're coming at you on a Wednesday to preview this year's New/Next Film Fest with programmer Eric Allen Hatch. We go into the genesis of the festival, now in its second year, as well as what attendees can expect and highlights from the lineup. You can find more info on New/Next at their website or on Instagram or Twitter. Our twitter is @CannesIKic…

By and large, we discuss the hit film of early fall, The Substance. Cullen likes it and Jesse and Andy do not. There's some discussion of other films, film festivals, etc. Look out for a BONUS episode next week. Happy Megalopolis weekend!!! Our twitter is @CannesIKickIt Our instagram is @CIKIPod Our letterboxd is CIKIPod Enjoying the show? We'd be …

TIFF has ended, the awards have been handed out, and we're still decompressing, with even more to come. This week we discuss the Venice Awards, the TIFF Prizes, and Andy and Jesse go in-depth on the remaining films they both have a take on: Miguel Gomes' GRAND TOUR, Luca Guadagnino's QUEER, Joshua Oppenheimer's THE END, and Steven Soderbergh's PRES…

Live and On The Ground at the Lightbox from the Toronto International Film Festival, Jesse and and Andy discuss a few TIFF titles they have both seen, including Marielle Heller's NIGHTBITCH, Mike Leigh's HARD TRUTHS, and Pedro Almodóvar's Golden Lion winning THE ROOM NEXT DOOR. Then Andy, back home, catches up with Emilio and Cullen about some of t…

This week on the podcast we discuss the new film Between the Temples and early Venice reactions. Our twitter is @CannesIKickIt Our instagram is @CIKIPod Our letterboxd is CIKIPod Enjoying the show? Feel free to send a few bucks our way on Ko-fi. Thanks to Tree Related for our theme song Our hosts are @andytgerm @imlaughalone

On the eve of Venice kickoff and Toronto travel, we take a look at what the general public can see from this fall's slate. That's right, it's a return to TRAILERS! What's exciting? What seems annoying? Will anyone get passive aggressive about a trailer and other people liking or not liking it? These questions, and also like a 10-15 minute digressio…

Andy and Jesse talk through their TIFFRs! We love to laugh! Our twitter is @CannesIKickIt Our instagram is @CIKIPod Our letterboxd is CIKIPod Enjoying the show? Feel free to send a few bucks our way on Ko-fi. Thanks to Tree Related for our theme song Our hosts are @andytgerm @clatchley @imlaughalone @jcathtraverse…

Max Minghella's new film Shell stars: Elisabeth Moss, Kate Hudson, Kaia Gerber, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Peter MacNicol, Amy Landecker, Peri Gilpin, Arian Moayed, Ziwe, and Este Haim Our twitter is @CannesIKickIt Our instagram is @CIKIPod Our letterboxd is CIKIPod Enjoying the show? Feel free to send a few bucks our way on Ko-fi. Thanks to Tree Related f…

LIVE FROM NEW YORK (and Toronto) IT'S ... A BUNCH OF MOVIES. This week on the podcast J.Catherine Traverse and Emilio are joined by J. Kim Murphy to talk about all the movies announced for the NYFF Main Slate and TIFF Centerpiece, Wavelengths, and Docs. We try to figure out what's missing from these announcements, what we are excited to check out i…

A couple of small TIFF and Venice updates, and then it's off to the slopes! Or is it? Sundance has announced its finalist host cities for 2026 and beyond and we talk our way through all the possibilites, including a full evaluation of the PR statements from local governments and our associations with what local foodstuffs we know about. Our apologi…

The Venice Film Festival has announced their entire lineup. TIFF has subjected us to a series of "TIFF Takeovers" through which we learned what will be playing in Special Presentations, Midnight Madness, and more. NYFF has begun to release crumbs of their main slate. Andy has no idea what Pavement sounds like. I think we've got some stuff to talk a…

A few weeks ago a trailer came out for an upcoming movie that caught our attention. Robert Zemeckis is back and we've had our eye on his next project HERE for quite some time due to some familiarity with the source material. After the release of the trailer we asked our friend and comic enthusiast C HOWSON-JAN to join us to discuss that book, by Ri…

There's a Locarno Lineup, there's some more TIFF Titles, and Horizon's Horizons are looking a little different, and we get into all of it was we rebrand into a new more confrontational show. Look out Slate Culture Gabfest! Also, we check in on our Unlikely Predictions... turns out many of them were not very likely! Our twitter is @CannesIKickIt Our…

This time, the gang really is all here. We promise. And we have an important question for our audience. In the midst of us talking about some Venice, TIFF and Berlin news, we come to a query: who is the Dave you would most want to meet? We hope to hear from you soon on this important matter. Also, we talk about THE BIKERIDERS and KINDS OF KINDNESS …

JJ Bersch returns to discuss the first year of the 21st Century, liking every movie, and Fortnite. Our twitter is @CannesIKickIt Our instagram is @CIKIPod Our letterboxd is CIKIPod Enjoying the show? Feel free to send a few bucks our way on Ko-fi. Thanks to Tree Related for our theme song Our hosts are @andytgerm @clatchley @imlaughalone @jcpglickw…

Can you believe it's time to Consider the Fall already? That's right, we've heard the first bit of news out of TIFF 2024, 6 world premiere titles and a couple of tribute awards! And the gang's all here to break it down. Will Elton John perform in the streets of Toronto like Nickleback? Who has the authority to decide whether a film is an act of cre…

We talk about Hit Man, we are all excited. Our twitter is @CannesIKickIt Our instagram is @CIKIPod Our letterboxd is CIKIPod Enjoying the show? Feel free to send a few bucks our way on Ko-fi. Thanks to Tree Related for our theme song Our hosts are @andytgerm @clatchley @imlaughalone @jcpglickwebber (edited)…