The Take-Up

The Take-Up

The Take-Up is the place to gather when the film is over. Every episode, film critics Andrew Wyatt and Joshua Ray break down one film to decide if it enters the Take-Up's canon of films that reflect the website's ethos: Creator-owned independent online film criticism, based in the Heartland but traveling the world through cinema. Special guests plead the case for for their personal picks, with new releases getting a chance to sit alongside the greats.

  1. Suspiria (1977) (with Sarah Baraba and Keith Watson)

    25/12/2025

    Suspiria (1977) (with Sarah Baraba and Keith Watson)

    As we here at the Take-Up wish everyone a happy holiday, we bring the gift of Keith Watson’s and Sarah Barabas’ pick of the week and iconic “wallpaper cinema,” Suspiria! As the Arkadin Cinema owners alongside Josh and Andrew wander down the vast candy-lit halls of this witchy giallo, raving over the fairy tale aesthetics, camp quality, dream logic, and how it all makes for a great date movie. Completing this episode is a preview of the Arkadin’s “Weird Canadian” theme for next month, featuring some Cronenberg, Kids in the Hall and upcoming animated documentary Endless Cookie. Plus Josh and Andrew having One More Thing with hit HBO queer hockey drama Heated Rivalry and point-and-click murder mystery game The Séance of Blake Manor.  Next week, Josh and Andrew keep this macabre gift-giving, bringing in fellow Take-Up contributor/podcast editor Ethan Tarantella (you know, the guy who writes these episode synopses?) to discuss his own first kiss with cinema, which just so happens to be Luca Guadagnino’s 2018 remake of Suspiria. Witness your writer come out of the shadows to talk about a film that breaks the nose off of Argento’s original and replaces it with an uglier attack of the senses. Until then, read on at thetake-up.com and follow us @thetakeupstl on Instagram, Twitter, Letterboxd, and Facebook. Special thanks to Social Media Manager Kayla McCulloch and Contributor Ethan Tarantella. Theme music by AMP.

    1 h y 4 min
  2. The Secret Agent (with Diane Carson)

    11/12/2025

    The Secret Agent (with Diane Carson)

    Film critic Dr. Diane Carson spills the beans on director Kleber Mendonça Filho’s latest political thriller The Secret Agent! Together with Josh and Andrew, the trio give praise to its pointed commentary on the Fifth Brazilian Republic and darkly comedic portrayal of a political refugee. Featuring a disembodied leg, Carnival, Mendonça's love of cinema, and so many other things, listen in on our hosts gushing over this wild thriller before it drops in theatres this Christmas.  Later, they make sure to have One More Thing to say about this year’s film turnout, recommending Bi-Gan’s upcoming sci-fi film Resurrection, last summer’s A24 horror film Bring Her Back, the Cannes Grand-Prix-winning family drama Sentimental Value, and 90’s Iraq period piece The President’s Cake. Speaking of holidays, we here at The Take-Up decided to give our listeners the best fitting yuletide gifts of the season: Dancing! Goblin! The Color Red! Arkadin Cinema & Bar owners Keith Watson and Sarah Barabas come in to discuss their first love of cinema, the Italian horror classic Suspiria. Get cozy by the excessive amount of razor wire and grab a glass of blood-building wine for what will be a fun discussion on everyone’s favorite giallo fairy tale. Until then, read on at thetake-up.com and follow us @thetakeupstl on Instagram, Twitter, Letterboxd, and Facebook. Special thanks to Social Media Manager Kayla McCulloch and Contributor Ethan Tarantella. Theme music by AMP.

    59 min

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The Take-Up is the place to gather when the film is over. Every episode, film critics Andrew Wyatt and Joshua Ray break down one film to decide if it enters the Take-Up's canon of films that reflect the website's ethos: Creator-owned independent online film criticism, based in the Heartland but traveling the world through cinema. Special guests plead the case for for their personal picks, with new releases getting a chance to sit alongside the greats.

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