WELCOME TO SEASON 2 of MIDDAY MOVIES Today we’re discussing the 2024 Oscar-nominated biopic, “A Complete Unknown.” In it, Bob Dylan is played by Timothee Chalamet as we chart the early rise of Dylan’s career in 1960s New York. An extraordinary time capsule of Cold War highlights, social justice movements, and the American folk music scene, “A Compl…

WELCOME TO SEASON 2 of MIDDAY MOVIES Today we’re discussing prestige television series, “The White Lotus” (season 3, 2025). Created, written, and directed by the incomparable Mike White, “White Lotus” is on its third season, with its third collection of luxury vacationers, who have more than a third of life-shattering drama. Taking place in the Tha…

WELCOME TO SEASON 2 of MIDDAY MOVIES Today we’re discussing the new sci-fi satire from famed “Parasite” director Bong Joon Ho, “Mickey 17” (2025). Based on the 2022 book, “Mickey7,” this film imagines a future where human printing and consciousness-uploading technology has created a class of worker known as “expendable” — someone who can die and be…

WELCOME TO SEASON 2 of MIDDAY MOVIES Today we’re discussing the new romantic spy thriller, “Black Bag” (2025). Directed by industry legend Steven Soderbergh, written by industry legend David Koepp, and starring industry legends Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender, this story of married high-level British spies set at odds is brilliant, exciting, …

WELCOME TO SEASON 2 of MIDDAY MOVIES Today we’re discussing the latest addition to the Marvel Captain America franchise, “Captain America: Brave New World” (2025). Sam Wilson, played by Anthony Mackie, has now fully accepted the mantle of Captain America and is out fighting for us in the middle of an international incident. We have a new president,…

WELCOME TO SEASON 2 of MIDDAY MOVIES Today we’re discussing the Oscar-winning animated film, “Flow” (2025). Directed by young Latvian filmmaker Gints Zilbalodis, this multinational movie brought together animators from Latvia, Belgium, and France, was completed entirely in the free-to-use 3D modeling software Blender, and shipped only a few days be…

WELCOME TO SEASON 2 of MIDDAY MOVIES Today we’re presenting you with another Midday Mini! Please enjoy a super-short, super-fun conversation about “Hot Frosty” — a Hallmark-style Netflix movie with great things to teach you about being a pillar of your community. This movie stars Lacey Chabert, Dustin Milligan, Chrishell Stausse, Jo Lo Truglio, and…

WELCOME TO SEASON 2 of MIDDAY MOVIES Today we’re discussing the latest release by horror film auteur, Osgood Perkins, namely “The Monkey” (2025). Starring Theo James as twin brothers haunted by a malicious toy monkey and based on a Stephen King short story of the same name, “The Monkey” tells a tale spanning two generations of fatherless boys. With…

WELCOME TO SEASON 2 of MIDDAY MOVIES Today we’re sharing a Midday Mini! That means a super-short, super-fun discussion of our key takeaways from the romance-themed thriller, “Companion” (2025). This film stars Sophie Thatcher, Jack Quaid, Lukas Gage, Megan Suri, Harvey Guillen, and Rupert Friend. It was written and directed by Drew Hancock, whose p…

WELCOME TO SEASON 2 of MIDDAY MOVIES Today we’re discussing the Oscar Best Picture nominee, “The Brutalist” (2024). Written and directed by Brady Corbet and starring Adrien Brody, “The Brutalist” narrativizes the disorienting and hostile experience of a Jewish immigrant escaping the cataclysm of World War II. In some ways friendly and hospitable, b…

WELCOME TO SEASON 2 of MIDDAY MOVIES Today we’re talking about Oscar Best Picture nominee, “Nickel Boys” (2024). Adapted from the 2019 Colson Whitehead novel of the same name and based on the experiences of students at the real-life Dozier School for Boys in Florida, this film shows us the Jim Crow era South literally through the eyes of our protag…

WELCOME TO SEASON 2 of MIDDAY MOVIES Today, the next stop on our tour of Oscar Best Picture nominees is, “Dune: Part Two” (2024). This is the second adaptation of the classic midcentury sci-fi series by Frank Herbert and it takes us right back to the barren desert of Arrakis, where we left our heroes in “Dune: Part One” in 2021. Expanding the world…

WELCOME TO SEASON 2 of MIDDAY MOVIES Today we’re discussing our next Oscar Best Picture nominee, “Wicked” (2024). Adapted from the Broadway blockbuster of the same name, which was adapted from the Gregory Maguire book of the same name, which owes its inspiration to the Wonderful Wizard of Oz books by L. Frank Baum — a 20th-century American politica…

WELCOME TO SEASON 2 of MIDDAY MOVIES Today we’re discussing the papal thriller and Oscar Best Picture nominee, “Conclave” (2024). Starring Ralph Fiennes, John Lithgow, Stanley Tucci, and Isabella Rossellini, and based on a Robert Harris novel of the same name, “Conclave” is a political thriller that takes viewers inside the secret, sacred world of …

WELCOME TO SEASON 2 of MIDDAY MOVIES Today we’re beginning our review series of OSCAR’s Best Picture Nominees, starting with “Emilia Perez” (2024), the most academy-nominated film this year. With 13 nomination nods including Best Picture, “Emilia Perez” follows the stories of four remarkable Mexican women — one a literal cartel boss (Karla Sofia Ga…

WELCOME TO SEASON 2 of MIDDAY MOVIES Today we’re reviewing the much-anticipated Las Vegas morality tale, “The Last Showgirl” (2025). Directed by Gia Coppola and written by “Good Place” screenwriter Kate Gersten, “The Last Showgirl” stars Pamela Anderson as a professional dancer whose long-running show on the Las Vegas Strip abruptly closes and leav…

WELCOME TO SEASON 2 of MIDDAY MOVIES Today we’re discussing the transgressive romantic thriller, “Babygirl” (2024). Written and directed by Halina Reijn and starring Nicole Kidman, “Babygirl” follows an aspirational female CEO — who absolutely “has it all” — whose unexpected affair with a male intern (played by Harris Dickinson) sparks an inner exp…

WELCOME TO SEASON 2 of MIDDAY MOVIES Today we’re discussing Robert Eggers’ vampire thriller, “Nosferatu” (2024). Released over Christmas and with a knockout cast containing Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult, Bill Skarsgard, and Willem Dafoe, this version of Nosferatu is an Eggers passion project more than a decade in the making. Here we discuss the pr…

WELCOME TO THE REMASTER SERIES, where we take the first 20 episodes of your favorite podcast, MIDDAY MUSINGS, and update them with improved audio and material. We chat about Europe, England and the lovable characters of Doctor Who. We want to know what you think about our podcast! Let us know in this brief survey ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠…

WELCOME TO THE REMASTER SERIES, where we take the first 20 episodes of your favorite podcast, MIDDAY MUSINGS, and update them with improved audio and material. We talk about the Hunger Games (original and prequel) as well as classic and evolving holiday traditions. Follow us to show your support for the show. We want to know what you think about ou…

WELCOME TO THE REMASTER SERIES, where we take the first 20 episodes of your favorite podcast, MIDDAY MUSINGS, and update them with improved audio and material. We talk about the Cronenbergs, cats, dogs, pets and how pet insurance has developed over time. Follow us to get the latest and greatest podcasts as soon as we make them. We want to know what…

WELCOME TO THE REMASTER SERIES, where we take the first 20 episodes of your favorite podcast, MIDDAY MUSINGS, and update them with improved audio and material. We chat about generations, imperialism and druids. Follow us to get new episodes as soon as they release. We want to know what you think about our podcast! Let us know in this brief survey ⁠…

WELCOME TO THE REMASTER SERIES, where we take the first 20 episodes of your favorite podcast, MIDDAY MUSINGS, and update them with improved audio and material. We talk about how it’s midnight at 2pm now, news watching habits and how to live a long life. We want to know what you think about our podcast! Let us know in this brief survey ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠…

WELCOME TO THE REMASTER SERIES, where we take the first 20 episodes of your favorite podcast, MIDDAY MUSINGS, and update them with improved audio and material. We talk about religion, how both Laura and Ryan Gosling were raised Mormon, and some good and bad things you can do to get serotonin. We want to know what you think about our podcast! Let us…

WELCOME TO THE REMASTER SERIES, where we take the first 20 episodes of your favorite podcast, MIDDAY MUSINGS, and update them with improved audio and material. We talk about relationships and different types of humor, including why close friends disagree with our taste in TV. We want to know what you think about our podcast! Let us know in this bri…

WELCOME TO THE REMASTER SERIES, where we take the first 20 episodes of your favorite podcast, MIDDAY MUSINGS, and update them with improved audio and material. We discuss the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise (Disney, 2003-2017), the importance of bed rest and the cultural consequences of American Calvinism. We want to know what you think about …

WELCOME TO THE REMASTER SERIES, where we take the first 20 episodes of your favorite podcast, MIDDAY MUSINGS, and update them with improved audio and material. In response last week’s episode, which listed bad first date locations (as reported by women on Facebook), we ask the question that is on everyone’s mind, “what do women actually want?”. We …

WELCOME TO THE REMASTER SERIES, where we take the first 20 episodes of your favorite podcast, MIDDAY MUSINGS, and update them with improved audio and material. We talk about the viral Facebook list of places to not take women on a first date from fall 2023 and accompanying relationship red flags. We want to know what you think about our podcast! Le…

WELCOME TO THE REMASTER SERIES, where we take the first 20 episodes of your favorite podcast, MIDDAY MUSINGS, and update them with improved audio and material. Today we cover a grab-bag of topics ranging from German nouns for animals, serial killers in the 1970s, Ethan Hawke as a serial killer in “The Black Phone” and the impending Ridley Scott mov…

WELCOME TO THE REMASTER SERIES, where we take the first 20 episodes of your favorite podcast, MIDDAY MUSINGS, and update them with improved audio and material. We chat about the book “Cold People” by Tom Rob Smith, the movie adaptation of the popular video game “Five Nights at Freddy’s” (2023, directed by Emma Tammi and starring Josh Hutcherson) an…

WELCOME TO THE REMASTER SERIES, where we take the first 20 episodes of your favorite podcast, MIDDAY MUSINGS, and update them with improved audio and material. We talk Universal Halloween Horror Nights, Horoscopes and our thoughts on Black Phone and Midnight Mass (Netflix, dir. Mike Flanagan). We want to know what you think about our podcast! Let u…

WELCOME TO THE REMASTER SERIES, where we take the first 20 episodes of your favorite podcast, MIDDAY MUSINGS, and update them with improved audio and material. We discuss Mike Flanagan's thrilling new show The Fall of the House of Usher based on the works of Edgar Allen Poe and featuring some outstanding talent. We want to know what you think about…

WELCOME TO THE REMASTER SERIES, where we take the first 20 episodes of your favorite podcast, MIDDAY MUSINGS, and update them with improved audio and material. The third part of our epic three part talk on the Gilmore Girls series. We cover Gilmore Girls: Year in the Life and how it complements and completes the original series. We want to know wha…

WELCOME TO THE REMASTER SERIES, where we take the first 20 episodes of your favorite podcast, MIDDAY MUSINGS, and update them with improved audio and material. Second part of our fabulous three part talk on the Gilmore Girls series (and a bit of Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life) And talk about coffee. So MUCH coffee. We want to know what you think…

WELCOME TO THE REMASTER SERIES, where we take the first 20 episodes of your favorite podcast, MIDDAY MUSINGS, and update them with improved audio and material. First part of our epic three episode discussion of the Gilmore Girls series. We want to know what you think! Let us know in this brief survey ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠. Listen to us on your favorite podcas…

WELCOME TO THE REMASTER SERIES, where we take the first 20 episodes of your favorite podcast, MIDDAY MUSINGS, and update them with improved audio and material. We talk about Autumn/Winter holidays, coffee, historic chapels, an app for friends, an app for horses and the Metaverse. Also polling goats about the state of America. Let’s get into it! We …

WELCOME TO THE REMASTER SERIES, where we take the first 20 episodes of your favorite podcast, MIDDAY MUSINGS, and update them with improved audio and additional material. Today we talk about medieval guilds, differences between medieval times and the current age, as well as the changing face of unicorns. Cited sources include lauded medieval folk h…

Today marks the last episode of Midday Musings’ season 1, so we’re celebrating with a Thanksgiving-slash-Friendsgiving episode! We’re sharing what we’re grateful for from this last year of production, shouting out some special listeners and the incredible pod friends we’ve made along the way, as well as sharing what to expect from the season break …

CONTENT WARNING: the Holocaust, WWII, and self-harm Today we’re discussing the Sundance-premiered indie drama, “A Real Pain” (Searchlight Pictures, 2024). Written, directed, and starring Jesse Eisenberg alongside a sparkler-bright performance by Kieran Culkin, “A Real Pain” follows odd-couple cousins on a Holocaust tour of Poland to honor their sur…

Today we’re reviewing recently-released mountainous monster movie, “Elevation” (Vertical Entertainment, 2024). Produced by Brad Fuller — who brought you all the Purge movies and all the Quiet Place films — and starring Anthony Mackie as one of the survivors of an alien apocalypse 3 years prior, we begin clustered in a 200-person village in the Colo…

Today we’re reviewing the 2020s cooperative first person shooter and mining simulator, “Deep Rock Galactic.” Created by Danish games company, Ghost Ship Games, “Deep Rock Galactic” has you playing a dwarf miner on alien planet Hoxxes IV — an environment rich in minerals and hostile wildlife. With four playable classes and nine game modes, you can l…

Today we’re reviewing the new Sean Baker film, “Anora” (2024). Winner of the golden palm award (Palme d’Or) at this years Cannes Film Festival, this romantic comedy/drama follows exotic dancer, “Ani”/“Anora” (Mikey Madison) in a Cinderella-esque whirlwind romance with Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn), a Russian oligarch’s son. After news of their marriage r…

Today we’re talking about the Sundance-selected indie romcom/horror film, “Your Monster” (2024). Written and directed by Caroline Lindy and based on her semi-autobiographical short film, this movie follows soft-spoken theater actress Laura Franco (Melissa Barrera) as she recuperates from cancer treatments and comes face-to-face with a terrifying-ye…

Today we’re discussing the #1 Netflix streaming film, “Woman of the Hour” (2024). Starring Anna Kendrick in her directorial debut, this movie fictionalizes a very real, very weird moment in 1970s cultural history, the day a prolific serial killer won the “Dating Game” — a popular matchmaking show from the time. What we’re presented with is a fascin…

Today we’re analyzing the most recent entry in the “Smile” horror franchise, “Smile 2” (2024). Helmed once again by writer-director Parker Finn, this “Smile” film dials up the cinematic ambition by following fictional pop star Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) as she mounts a worldwide redemption tour one year after a grievous car accident took the life of …

Today we are discussing the newly-released political satire, “Rumours” (2024). Co-directed by beloved Canadian auteur Guy Maddin and starring Cate Blanchett as the Chancellor of Germany, this surreal art house comedy follows the leaders of the world’s top liberal democracies at their annual G-7 Summit. Tasked with collaborating on the eve of an apo…

Today we’re reviewing the wildly popular HBO MAX miniseries, “The Penguin” (2024). A spinoff of the 2022 “The Batman” film and brought to life by veteran producer Lauren LeFranc, this series sees Colin Farrell reprising his role as Oz Cobb (“the penguin”) in a post-disaster Gotham. The seawall has been bombed to bits, there’s a power vacuum in the …

Today we’re reviewing the new HBO MAX comedy series, “The Franchise” (2024). Creatively helmed by Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes, “The Franchise” follows the behind-the-scenes drama of a troubled Marvel movie-esque production called, “Tecto.” With long-suffering First AD Daniel (Himesh Patel) trying to contain the production chaos of an inexperi…

Today we’re reviewing the newly-released Saturday Night Live docudrama, “Saturday Night” (2024). Depicting the 90-minute lead-up to SNL’s inaugural show on October 11, 1975, this Jason Reitman-directed project (“Juno,” “Up in the Air,” “Tully”) used first-person interviews, contemporaneous news articles, and extensive scholarship to construct a gri…

Today we are celebrating 👻 Halloween 🎃 with 15 recommendations for movies you can watch on this final day of spooky season. We’ve got something for everyone— classics and recent releases, movies to watch with your kids, your girlfriends, your significant others, or your scary movie aficionado friends. From sweet to sexy to big-spooky, this list of …