
321 episodes

Unspooled Earwolf
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- TV & Film
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4.5 • 165 Ratings
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Listen up, film fans! Actor & comedian Paul Scheer and film critic Amy Nicholson want your advice as they make the ultimate list of the greatest movies of all time. In Season 1, they watched every one of the AFI’s Top 100 films...and decided they could kick off half. Now, they're filling in the gaps by investigating wildly diverse areas of film through miniseries on topics like horror movies, documentaries and romantic comedies, with help from listeners' picks. Along the way, they’ll dissect iconic scenes, spotlight their favorite characters, and talk to some of the actors and directors who worked on these classics. And when Unspooled has built their own list of the best movies on earth, they'll blast them into space to be immortalized for eternity. Seriously.
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Concert Films
Amy & Paul take the stage for a closer look at concert movies! Inspired by the recent release of “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” and the rerelease of Talking Heads’ “Stop Making Sense,” they dig into what separates a good concert film from a great one, survey the many ways musicians make their films feel like a true event, and learn about Flavor Flav’s Swift fandom. Plus: how David Byrne is like Oppenheimer.
Next week, Paul and Amy are talking about Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World! You can join the conversation on Paul’s Discord at https://discord.gg/ZwtygZGTa6
Check out this week's spotlight episode from the archives, Jackass: https://www.earwolf.com/episode/jackass/
Learn more about the show at unspooledpod.com, follow us on Twitter @unspooled and Instagram @unspooledpod, and don’t forget to rate, review & subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or where you listen to podcasts. -
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Paul & Amy play hooky for 1984’s John Hughes class-cutting caper Ferris Bueller’s Day Off! They discover the secret backstory behind Charlie Sheen’s memorable cameo, read some of their favorite Reddit fan theories, and express their disappointment that the real Matthew Broderick is nothing like Ferris. Plus: how the filmmakers pulled off that massive parade sequence.
Next week, Paul and Amy are talking about concert movies! You can join the conversation on Paul’s Discord at https://discord.gg/ZwtygZGTa6
Check out this week's spotlight episode from the archives, Planes Trains & Automobiles: https://www.earwolf.com/episode/platoon/
Learn more about the show at unspooledpod.com, follow us on Twitter @unspooled and Instagram @unspooledpod, and don’t forget to rate, review & subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or where you listen to podcasts. -
The Hunger Games
Amy & Paul volunteer as tribute for 2012’s young adult dystopian saga The Hunger Games! They compare the young Jennifer Lawrence to her character Katniss, trace a theme of idealism vs cynicism through director Gary Ross’s filmography, and marvel at Peeta’s rock face. Plus: Should the main characters have been hungrier?
Next week, Paul and Amy are watching Ferris Bueller’s Day Off! You can join the conversation on Paul’s Discord at https://discord.gg/ZwtygZGTa6
Check out this week's spotlight episode from the archives, Platoon: https://www.earwolf.com/episode/platoon/
Learn more about the show at unspooledpod.com, follow us on Twitter @unspooled and Instagram @unspooledpod, and don’t forget to rate, review & subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or where you listen to podcasts. -
Fight Club
Paul & Amy break all the rules of David Fincher’s 1999 cult sendup of masculinity Fight Club! They ask how seriously we’re meant to take the film’s grand pronouncements on consumerism and conformity, discover how badly Edward Norton hurt himself while beating himself up, and ask if this holds up as Fincher’s very best film. Plus: Which costume choice for Tyler Durden went too far for Fincher?
Next week. Paul and Amy are watching The Hunger Games! You can join the conversation on Paul’s Discord at https://discord.gg/ZwtygZGTa6
Check out this week's spotlight episode from the archives, The Matrix: https://www.earwolf.com/episode/the-matrix/
Learn more about the show at unspooledpod.com, follow us on Twitter @unspooled and Instagram @unspooledpod, and don’t forget to rate, review & subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or where you listen to podcasts. -
Election
Paul & Amy put their hats in the ring for 1999’s acidic high-school satire Election! They praise director Alexander Payne’s brilliant eye for humanist detail, discuss how Matthew Broderick channels his Ferris Bueller image to subversive ends, and posit that America has only become more like high school since the movie’s release. Plus: How Election almost derailed Reese Witherspoon’s career.
Next week. Paul and Amy are watching Fight Club! You can join the conversation on Paul’s Discord at https://discord.gg/ZwtygZGTa6
Check out this week's spotlight episode from the archives, Mean Girls: https://www.earwolf.com/episode/mean-girls/
Learn more about the show at unspooledpod.com, follow us on Twitter @unspooled and Instagram @unspooledpod, and don’t forget to rate, review & subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or where you listen to podcasts. -
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Paul & Amy time warp to 1975’s cult musical sensation The Rocky Horror Picture Show! They ask what makes a movie camp, discover the genius marketer who helped the film find its audience, and debate whether Rocky Horror is actually best appreciated in a rowdy theater. Plus: How Rocky is like a katamari.
Next week, Paul and Amy are watching Election! You can join the conversation on Paul’s Discord at https://discord.gg/ZwtygZGTa6.
Check out this week's spotlight episode from the archives, Little Shop Of Horrors: https://www.earwolf.com/episode/little-shop-of-horrors/
Learn more about the show at unspooledpod.com, follow us on Twitter @unspooled and Instagram @unspooledpod, and don’t forget to rate, review & subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or where you listen to podcasts.
Customer Reviews
So great to enjoy films with extra context
I’ve spent the COVID-19 lockdown living with my parents and we have been watching the AFI top 100 films list. I love this podcast it’s so good to be able to have some context after watching
, especially some of the older films i’m not familiar with. I also love regurgitating all the facts I Learn here from Paul and Amy to my parents the day after listening to the podcast they also really enjoy it secondhand thanks guys.
Big fan but becoming frustrated
I really enjoyed this podcast but the more I listened to it the harder it became to get past Paul’s long monologues and him frequently cutting Amy off in the middle of the point she was making to reiterate or slightly re-frame what she was saying but in lots more words
The woke knowledge of history
Listened to an “analysis” of Lawrence of Arabia, David Lean’s film. I was struck by two things. The knowledge of the real history at the time of T E Lawrence was simply abysmal and the knowledge of the man was similarly appalling. Secondly, the analysis of reality through the psychological lens was distortingly shallow. Could the bells under the cart have had a deeper symbolic meaning than the usual, go to sexual explanation. You lose such a lot of understanding of deeper humanity when you rely on psychobabble and think in base concepts.