The Filmward Podcast

Filmward Podcast
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Film Reviews

Jeff and Matt Ward are brothers who love movies but watch them very differently. Jeff keeps up with new releases, while Matt keeps going back to the films he's loved for decades. Each week on Filmward they meet in the middle: a look at what's new, a revisit of a classic to see if it's still as good as they remember, a top-five list built around a director, actor, or franchise, and a quick rundown of what's safe for family movie night. Five-star ratings and honest opinions. Just two brothers discussing movies the way they always have.

Episodes

  1. 2d ago

    Our Top 5 Actors of the 2020s, Heat, Wildwood & You Can See Everything | Filmward Ep. 8

    Heat (1995) gets 5/5 from both of us: Michael Mann's crime epic with Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, the famous coffee shop scene, the shootout after the bank robbery, and Neil McCauley's code of walking away in 30 seconds. So how much heat is too much? Then Jeff reviews Laika's stop-motion Wildwood (4/5: stunning hand-built sets, a story that didn't quite land for him) and You Can See Everything, the Elizabeth Holmes documentary with Nathan Fielder (5/5). Then our Top 5 Male Actors of the 2020s, where only Timothée Chalamet made both lists. Plus Jeff's Broadway trip (Hadestown, Schmigadoon!, The Lost Boys), Top Gun: Maverick and Heat 2. 00:00 Introduction and Top Gun: Maverick 03:16 Broadway: Hadestown, Schmigadoon!, The Lost Boys and filmed stage shows 12:35 Wildwood (Laika) 25:05 You Can See Everything (Elizabeth Holmes) 34:20 Heat (1995) 46:40 Neil McCauley's code: how much heat is too much? 51:56 Our Heat scores, Heat 2 and Michael Mann 54:20 Top 5 Male Actors of the 2020s 55:28 #5: Stellan Skarsgård and Jeffrey Wright 58:46 #4: Leonardo DiCaprio and Andrew Garfield 1:03:30 #3: Tom Holland and Timothée Chalamet 1:06:52 #2: Ryan Gosling and Cillian Murphy 1:11:56 #1: Timothée Chalamet and Anthony Hopkins 1:16:57 VidAngel and wrap-up Filter content your way with VidAngel: get a 14-day free trial with promo code FILMWARD at checkout or this link (affiliate link: we earn a commission if you sign up): https://www.vidangel.com/?utm_source=impact&utm_medium=affiliate&promo_code=filmward Subscribe to Filmward for weekly movie reviews, revisits, rankings, and conversations about the films worth watching. #Filmward #Heat #Wildwood #YouCanSeeEverything #TimotheeChalamet #MoviePodcast

  2. Oct 22

    Sense and Sensibility (2026) & Tenzing Reviews + Our Top 5 Romantic Comedies | Filmward Ep. 7

    Sense and Sensibility (2026) gets 4.5/5 from both of us: Georgia Oakley's candlelit, rain-soaked take on Jane Austen, and whether it needed remaking 31 years after Ang Lee's version. Apple TV's Tenzing gets 4/5 from Jeff and 3.5/5 from Matt: gorgeous mountaineering, too many flashbacks, and was Edmund Hillary really that kind? Then our Top 5 Romantic Comedies, where only one movie made both lists. Plus Matt's 1/5 on Street Fighter (and why movies shouldn't end on cliffhangers), You Can See Everything, and what's coming: Clayface, Wildwood, Everest: The Other Side and Peter Berg's The Mosquito Bowl. 00:00 Introduction and episode overview 01:04 Street Fighter (1/5) and cliffhanger endings 04:50 You Can See Everything, Bad Blood and The Dropout 07:31 Coming soon: Clayface, Wildwood, Clara and the Sun, Everest: The Other Side 10:40 The Mosquito Bowl 11:30 Sense and Sensibility (2026) 30:32 Tenzing 47:37 Top 5 Romantic Comedies: what counts as a rom-com? 50:28 #5: To All the Boys I've Loved Before and She's All That 55:09 #4: Runaway Bride and Crazy, Stupid, Love 59:01 #3: Hitch and 500 Days of Summer 01:03:21 #2: Notting Hill and You've Got Mail 01:06:09 #1: You've Got Mail and 10 Things I Hate About You 01:11:26 VidAngel and wrap-up Filter content your way with VidAngel: get a 14-day free trial with promo code FILMWARD at checkout or this link (affiliate link: we earn a commission if you sign up): https://www.vidangel.com/?utm_source=impact&utm_medium=affiliate&promo_code=filmward Subscribe to Filmward for weekly movie reviews, revisits, rankings, and conversations about the films worth watching. #Filmward #SenseAndSensibility #Tenzing #RomCom #YouveGotMail #MoviePodcast

  3. Oct 15

    Our Top 5 Christopher Nolan Movies, The Prestige & Sunset Boulevard | Filmward Ep. 6

    Matt and Jeff look ahead to opening weekend (Street Fighter, Whalefall and Sense and Sensibility) and next week's Wildwood, and Matt finds the original Mission: Impossible doesn't hold up on a rewatch. Then they review Billy Wilder's Sunset Boulevard and Christopher Nolan's The Prestige, and finish by ranking their Top 5 Christopher Nolan movies, where their top three line up exactly: Inception at #1, The Prestige at #2 and Batman Begins at #3. Filter content your way with VidAngel. Use promo code FILMWARD at checkout or this link (affiliate link: we earn a commission if you sign up): https://www.vidangel.com/?utm_source=impact&utm_medium=affiliate&promo_code=filmward Subscribe to Filmward for weekly movie reviews, revisits, rankings, and conversations about the films worth watching. 00:00 Introduction and episode overview 01:15 Opening weekend: Street Fighter 03:50 Whalefall and Sense and Sensibility 06:15 Next week: Wildwood and the art of stop-motion 10:15 What we watched: Mission: Impossible (1996) 13:54 Sunset Boulevard 28:31 The Prestige 38:38 Christopher Nolan's storytelling, then and now 46:43 Top 5 Christopher Nolan Movies 50:02 #5: Oppenheimer and The Dark Knight 52:12 #4: Interstellar and Oppenheimer 57:35 #3: Batman Begins (both of us!) 52:12 #4: Interstellar and Oppenheimer 57:35 #3: Batman Begins (both of us!) 01:00:51 #2: The Prestige (both of us!) 01:02:02 #1: Inception (both of us!) 01:07:31 Conclusion #Filmward #ChristopherNolan #ThePrestige #SunsetBoulevard #Inception #MoviePodcast

  4. Oct 9

    Lawrence of Arabia, Winter K2, & Top 5 Sports Films | Filmward Ep. 5

    Matt and Jeff catch up on Chernobyl, Disclosure Day, and The Breadwinner (and a wasted Zach Cherry), review Brad Pitt's Heart of the Beast, ask whether Rotten Tomatoes scores have gotten too generous, and look ahead to You Can See Everything, Mr. Irrelevant, and Vision Quest. Then they dive into Apple TV's mountaineering documentary The Last First: Winter K2 and David Lean's Lawrence of Arabia, and finish by ranking their Top 5 sports films of all time, with Moneyball landing at #4 for both of them (again) and Rudy making both lists. 00:00 Introduction and episode overview 02:03 What we watched: Chernobyl and Disclosure Day 06:50 The Breadwinner (and a wasted Zach Cherry) 11:31 Heart of the Beast 16:48 Are Rotten Tomatoes scores too generous? 18:22 Coming soon: You Can See Everything, Mr. Irrelevant, Vision Quest 22:01 The Last First: Winter K2 38:11 Lawrence of Arabia 51:10 Top 5 Sports Films of All Time 53:31 #5: Rocky IV and Rudy 56:47 #4: Moneyball (both of us!) 01:00:07 #3: Warrior and Rocky 01:03:42 #2: Cinderella Man and Free Solo 01:07:24 #1: Rudy and The Sandlot 01:11:13 Conclusion Subscribe to Filmward for weekly movie reviews, revisits, rankings, and conversations about the films worth watching. #Filmward #LawrenceOfArabia #WinterK2 #HeartOfTheBeast #SportsMovies #MoviePodcast

  5. Oct 1

    Forgotten Island, Hamnet, & Top 5 Tom Cruise | Filmward Ep. 4

    Matt and Jeff revisit Forrest Gump, catch up on Breadwinner, Backrooms, and Eternity, and talk movie news including Star Wars X and Wildwood. Then they dive into Forgotten Island, revisit the emotional weight of Hamnet, and finish by ranking their Top 5 Tom Cruise movies — with plenty of disagreement over Mission: Impossible, Top Gun, Far and Away, and A Few Good Men. 00:00 Introduction and episode overview 01:31 Jeff and Matt discuss recent movie watches 04:08 Jeff's Forrest Gump revisit 05:51 Recent films: Breadwinner, Backrooms, Eternity 11:06 Industry news: Star Wars X, Wildwood, Saved by the Bell 21:58 Forgotten Island 38:30 Hamnet 55:54 Top 5 Tom Cruise Movies 01:13:10 Conclusion Subscribe to Filmward for weekly movie reviews, revisits, rankings, and conversations about the films worth watching. #Filmward #Hamnet #TomCruise #ForgottenIsland #Movies #MoviePodcast

  6. Sep 25

    Toy Story 5, Paths of Glory, and our Spielberg Top 5 | Filmward Ep. 3

    The episode covers discussions on upcoming movies, the impact of technology on children, and a review of Stanley Kubrick's Paths of Glory. The conversation covers a range of topics related to films directed by Stanley Kubrick and Steven Spielberg, including 2001: A Space Odyssey, Barry Lyndon, Doctor Strangelove, Paths of Glory, and more. The discussion also delves into the themes and impact of war films, as well as the significance of certain scenes and characters in these movies. Takeaways Toy Story Five explores the impact of technology on children's social interactions.The use of technology as a tool for play and in-person friendship is emphasized in the movie.Stanley Kubrick's Paths of Glory is a thought-provoking film that delves into the complexities of war and justice. War films explore the humanity of soldiers and the impact of war on individuals.The impact of certain scenes and characters in films can be long-lasting and memorable. 00:00 Introduction and Episode Overview 03:39 Coming Soon: Avengers Doomsday 12:03 Discussion of Recent and Upcoming Movies 12:21 Toy Story 5 32:05 Paths of Glory 49:57 Top 5 Steven Spielberg Directed Films 59:10 Closing Remarks and Next Steps

  7. Sep 18

    Our Top 5 Pixar Movies, Arrival Revisited & Train Dreams | Filmward Ep. 2

    Matt and Jeff count down their top five Pixar movies—with only one pick in common—revisit Arrival, and reflect on Train Dreams. Plus, reviews of Is This Thing On?, Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die, and Coyote vs. Acme, along with movie news and a debate over when the Oscars get it right. 00:00 Welcome to Filmward 02:21 What We Watched This Week 06:30 Emmys and Industry News 10:20 Upcoming Movies and Sequels 22:44 Is This Thing On? 23:24 Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die 25:41 Coyote vs. Acme 27:21 Train Dreams 32:14 Academy Awards: Hits and Misses 35:38 Arrival: Our Rewatch Review 43:02 Should Arrival Have Won Best Picture? 45:23 Our Top 5 Pixar Movies 01:00:02 Wrap-Up and Next Week

  8. Sep 10

    Spider-man, Odyssey, and Top 5 Best Pictures | Filmward Ep.1

    Brothers Jeff and Matt Ward kick off The Filmward Podcast. This week they review Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, then each count down their top five Best Picture winners of all time. 00:00 Welcome to The Filmward Podcast 02:10 Meet Jeff and Matt 06:10 VidAngel, ClearPlay, and Watching with Kids 09:56 Spider-Man: Brand New Day Review 14:59 Marvel Fatigue, Rewatchability, and a Star Wars Tangent 19:53 The Odyssey: Hype vs. Reality 24:57 Sirens, Cyclops, and a Flat Odysseus 29:54 Where Was the Soundtrack? Nolan, Zimmer, and Film Scores 35:02 Top 5 Best Picture Winners 45:00 Titanic, Lawrence of Arabia, Braveheart, and Unforgiven 55:01 Forrest Gump, Casablanca, and Old Hollywood Leading Men

  • 8 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Jeff and Matt Ward are brothers who love movies but watch them very differently. Jeff keeps up with new releases, while Matt keeps going back to the films he's loved for decades. Each week on Filmward they meet in the middle: a look at what's new, a revisit of a classic to see if it's still as good as they remember, a top-five list built around a director, actor, or franchise, and a quick rundown of what's safe for family movie night. Five-star ratings and honest opinions. Just two brothers discussing movies the way they always have.

Information

  • Creator
    Filmward Podcast
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    8
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Filmward Podcast
  • Show Website
    The Filmward Podcast