At The Movies

The South Korean director Park Chan-wook made an international name for himself with "Oldboy," and he has continued to tackle edgy material. In this podcast episode, HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano talk about his new film, "No Other Choice." It's about a longtime paper company employee who is suddenly downsized and embarks on an extreme form of revenge. Marie and Mike agree that this dark comedy meanders and h...

The Broadway musical "Wicked" spawned a two-part movie version. Part I was a box office hit in 2024 and now "Wicked: For Good" is a box office hit in 2025. In this podcast episode, HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano take a long walk on that Yellow Brick Road as they discuss the things they like and the things they do not like about this colorful spectacle. They're in strong agreement that Cynthia Erivo's Elphaba ...

"Bugonia" is the fourth collaboration between director Yorgos Lanthimos and actor Emma Stone. If you've seen any of their earlier films, such as "Poor Things," you know that strange is the norm for this duo. HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano share their mixed reaction to the sci fi-themed "Bugonia" in this podcast episode. They're careful to avoid any plot spoilers, but it's safe to assume that weird things lie ...

In this podcast episode, HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano acknowledge that director Paul Thomas Anderson lives up to his reputation for making audacious films with "One Battle After Another," in which Leonardo DiCaprio plays a middle-aged former revolutionary who now lives as a recluse in the northern California woods. Loosely inspired by a Thomas Pynchon novel, this lengthy, densely plotted movie constantly ju...

As self-professed film nerds, HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano were primed to see "Highest 2 Lowest," director Spike Lee's reworking of the classic 1963 Akira Kurosawa film "High and Low." In this podcast episode, Marie and Mike talk about what's the same and what's different in the two versions. Although they often agree to disagree on the merits of the new version, they agree that Denzel Washington and Jeffre...

Genre-related questions link the two films discussed by HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano in this podcast episode. Writer-director Ari Aster, best known for the 2019 horror hit Midsommar, blends multiple genres in Eddington, where Joaquin Phoenix portrays a small-town New Mexico sheriff during May 2020. This contemporary Western, pandemic-era story, and political satire explores dark comedy, suspense, and dramat...

Brad Pitt is a 61-year-old movie star who is still a winner, as he proves in his formulaic Formula 1 star vehicle F1. Although this movie's 2-hour 35-minute run time has more Pitt stops than it really needs, HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano agree in this podcast episode that Brad Pitt has lost none of his movie star appeal, and the movie itself really immerses you in the high-speed world of Formula 1 racing.

Ma...

Tom Cruise is a 62-year-old action movie hero still capable of dangling from airplanes and punching out bad guys. In this podcast episode, HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano talk about "Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning," and, of course, they wonder if it will indeed be the final reckoning for this venerable franchise. Marie and Mike carp about the 169-minute running time, implausible and formulaic story,...

Director Ryan Coogler already has "Fruitvale Station," "Creed," and two "Black Panther" films to his credit, and so his latest film, "Sinners," was greatly anticipated. As, HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano note in this podcast episode, it has been a critical success and major box office hit. Set in Mississippi in 1932, Coogler's fusion of a blues-based drama and a vampire story makes for a very interesting film...

South Korean director Bong Joon Ho received so much acclaim for "Parasite" (2019) that expectations were high for his English-language, science fiction film "Mickey 17." In this podcast episode, HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano acknowledge that the film has a nifty premise involving Robert Pattinson as a lowly employee on a distant space station whose dangerous work frequently gets him killed, "reborn" through ...

Looking back on the 2025 Academy Awards ceremony, HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano devote this podcast episode to its two biggest winners. "Anora" won five Oscars: Picture, Director for Sean Baker, Actress for Mikey Madison, Original Screenplay for Sean Baker and Editing for Sean Baker. Marie and Mike agree that the central performance is strong, as is the basic story about a Manhattan stripper forming a person...

Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel has been adapted to the screen by director and co-screenwriter Ramell Ross, and "Nickel Boys" proves to be as compelling on screen as it is on the page. In this podcast episode, HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano share their admiration for a film that adroitly handles tough subject matter about a notorious Florida reform school that itself was in serious need of ref...

Bob Dylan arguably remains "A Complete Unknown" in this impressive biopic about the iconic and, yes, enigmatic musician. HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano devote much of this podcast episode to sharing their admiration for Timothee Chalamet's performance as Dylan. As with others in the cast, he did his own playing and singing. They also praise Edward Norton for his portrayal of Pete Seeger. Although Mike points ...

The 2003 Broadway musical "Wicked" has been turned into a movie musical, but the cinematic "Wicked" is just Part I and Part II arrives a year from now. Although HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano agree that the 2-hour, 40-minute run time of Part I is excessive and, indeed, Mike grouses about franchise expansion, they also agree during this podcast episode that this movie has crowd-pleasing appeal. Yes, there is s...

As a papal thriller, "Conclave" is a very entertaining film. HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano talk about it during a podcast episode in which they are careful not to reveal any spoilers in the intrigue-laden plot about cardinals gathering at the Vatican to elect a new pope. There are excellent performances by Ralph Fiennes, Isabella Rossellini, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow and others; and you can't go visually w...

It's daunting to realize that Tim Burton's "Beetlejuice" was released as long ago as 1988, but he now returns to that ghostly material in the aptly titled "Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice."  In this podcast episode, HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano agree that it's nice to have actors including Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder back again, as well as the visual cleverness one expects from this director. Although Mike is...

On this episode of At the Movies, our hosts Mike and Marie discuss sci-fi franchise thriller, 'Alien: Romulus' and Zoe Kravitz's directorial debut feature film 'Blink Twice'. The two tackle new ideas revolving around AI's role in cinema, discuss whether or not the Alien franchise has lost its once terrifying shock factor it became so popular for back in 1979, and also give their opinions of optimism and critique of a first-time dir...

"Deadpool & Wolverine" is an R-rated superhero movie that breaks the fourth wall and makes fun of itself. Although Marie loves it and Mike thinks it quickly wears thin, they agree that "Deadpool & Wolverine" knows how to really please an audience. Marie and Mike also discuss "MaXXXine," which is a sequel to "X" and "Pearl." This grungy installment follows Maxine Minx, an ambitious young porno actor who is trying to achieve ...