Rogue Auteurs

Eric Wood, Jake Hampton, Chad Durham, and Chase Durham gather to discuss and share their favorite movies from the year 2025. They talk about why the movies stayed with them and why sharing your favorite movies with others is such a wonderful thing to do.#OneBattleAfterAnother #Sinners #Hamnet #Weapons #SentimentalValue #WakeUpDeadMan

Eric, Jake, and Chad discuss Sam Raimi's thriller Send Help. They examine its themes as well as its central performances, from Rachel McAdams and Dylan O'Brien.

As is their annual tradition, Jake, Eric, and Chad reveal who they would pick if they had a vote for the 2026 Academy Awards.

Chad and Eric discuss Marty Supreme, looking at Chalamet's lead performance, Josh Safdie's strong direction, and if this is a sports movie or not.

After the Golden Globes and prior to the Oscar nominations, Eric and Chad discuss Hamnet as an Oscar frontrunner. They especially delve into Zhao's style and Jessie Buckley's performance.

Eric and Chad do their annual "Memo to the Academy" episode, highlighting performances and movies, etc., that they wish could or would be nominated for Oscars.

Eric and Chad discuss Noah Baumbach's Jay Kelly, starring George Clooney and Adam Sandler. They discuss its efficacy as well as the level of the performances. It is interesting how similar George Clooney the person seems to be to Clooney's character in the movie. Also, they discuss what Oscar nominations it may receive.

Chad, Jake, and Eric discuss Rian Johnson's third Knives Out movie, Wake Up Dead Man. They discuss if it transcends the whodunnit? genre, if it could get any Oscar nominations, if its themes last, and where it ranks in the Knives Out series.

Eric and Chad ponder whether One Battle After Another is, in fact, the masterpiece that many people claim it is. They look at the magnetic performances in the film, from Teyana Taylor and Leonardo Dicaprio to Sean Penn, Regina Hall, and Chance Infiniti. Is the movie saying something interesting about the current state of the nation?

Chad and Eric discuss Spike Lee's newest film Highest 2 Lowest (available to stream on Apple TV). They talk about if it holds up to some of Lee's classics, as well as discussing Denzel Washington's performance and ruminating on the movie's overall relevance.

Eric and Chad delve into Caught Stealing, Aronofsky's latest and consider if it is a return to form for the director. They also discuss Austin Butler's performance and review the movie.

Jake, Eric, and Chad discuss Cregger's Weapons, looking at its thematic resonance as well as its success as a movie.

Chad and Eric discuss the upcoming DCU and their reviews and responses to James Gunn's Superman.

Eric and Chad share their thoughts and reactions to the NY Times list of the 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century and share whether they think such lists matter at all.

Eric and Chad discuss Jurassic World: Rebirth and rank all of the Jurassic series movies.

Jake, Eric, and Chad discuss the Ryan Coogler-directed Sinners, considering its place in Coogler's filmography, as well as why it is such a hit. They also look at its themes about race and cultural appropriation.

Eric and Chad discuss Marc Webb's Snow White, which they both saw with their families. They discuss if it deserves the backlash and what they ultimately thought.

Jake, Eric, and Chad discuss Bong Joon Ho's Parasite follow-up Mickey 17. They discuss Robert Pattinson's performance, as well as its themes, and if it lives up to the director's previous masterpiece.

Eric, Jake, and Chad reveal their favorite movies of 2024. Eric has a few surprises up his sleeve and Jake leans toward the indies, per usual.

Jake, Eric, and Chad are joined by special guests Chase Durham and Brightyn Shoell to rank the movies directed by the idiosyncratic Yorgos Lanthimos. They also discuss what is indicative of Lanthimos' style, as well as the delight of his dark comedy.

Jake, Eric, and Chad do their annual "If We Picked the Winners" episode where they identify who they would give the biggest Oscars to if they had the ability to do so. Awesome to have Jake back.

Eric and Chad have a conversation about Wicked and Conclave. Though these movies are not innately related, they both have a large number of Oscar nominations and are great movies from 2024.

Eric and Chad chat about Deadpool and Wolverine, one of the highest-grossing comic book movies ever. Since Chad was out of commission in the summer, they never got to discuss it. :)

Eric and Chad discuss the huge amount of Golden Globe nominations for Emilia Perez on Netflix. They also discuss the performances by Zoe Saldana, Selena Gomez, and Karla Sofia Gascon.

Eric and Chad discuss the success of Gladiator II as well as comparing it to the original. They also discuss what awards it has a chance to show up for at the Oscars.

Jake, Eric, and Chad discuss their favorite things to munch on in the movie theater. They tell a few stories and Jake has some surprising proclivities to share.

Eric, Jordan Hadfield, and Chase Fugal discuss MaXXXine, Pearl, and X and the aesthetic of Ti West.

Eric Wood and Chad Durham discuss Inside Out 2 and consider how it compares to the first movie.

Eric, Jake, and Chad review Furiosa, discuss the idea of making a sequel to a movie that caught lightning in a bottle, and wonder if Furiosa mostly suffers upon comparison to its predecessor.

Jake, Eric, and Chad finally run down their lists of their favorite movies from last year (2023). There are just enough surprises to keep it interesting.

Jake and Chad discuss Andrew Haigh's moving and devastating All of Us Strangers. They delve into its incredible performances--particularly from Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal and discuss why it did not get the Oscar nominations it deserved.

Our annual "If We Picked the Winners" episode where we choose OUR picks for ten of the Oscar categories. With the Oscars on March 10, Jake and Chad reveal who they would choose as winners if they had a vote.

Jake and Chad hit the niche but fun topic of "favorite end-credits songs." What makes a great song for the final moments of a movie or the first moments of the credits, when the viewers are contemplating what they just saw? We discuss it!

Jake, Eric, Chad, and Jordan Hadfield discuss Todd Haynes' campy but effective May December and discuss how funny it is supposed to be and how Todd Haynes pulls off its tricky tone.

Eric, Jake, Chad, and Jordan Hadfield discuss the movies that they hope get nominated for Oscars this year. We normally called this episode our "Memo to the Academy," but it really is what we hope and wish will happen in some of the categories. The Oscar noms come out on January 23, 2024.

Jake, Eric, and Chad explore and review Celine Song's Past Lives, one of the most critically acclaimed movies of 2023 so far, considering what makes it great and its similarities to Richard Linklater's Before Trilogy.

Jake, Eric, and Chad rank all 11 movies of director Wes Anderson. They also discuss Asteroid City in a little more depth, as it just became available to stream. They also muse about the classic battle of style vs. substance.

Jake, Eric, and Chad share their favorite Westerns of all-time and briefly examine what makes a Western.

Eric, Jake, and Chad review Across the Spider-Verse and discuss what makes it so much better than other comic book and superhero movies. Also, what are they hoping to see from Beyond the Spider-Verse?

Jake and Chad each pick five movies that you can (and should!) stream during Pride Month. They both reveal what these movies have meant to them and why they are worthy candidates for you to check out at ANY TIME, but especially during Pride Month in June.

Jake, Eric, and Chad decide who they would pick to win in the biggest 8 categories of the Academy Awards. In the tradition of Siskel and Ebert, the gentlemen say who they would declare the winners if they had that kind of power. The Oscars are on Sunday, March 12.

The best day of the YEAR! Eric, Jake, and Chad share their favorite movies of 2022. They also share multiple friends' and family members' favorite movies of the year. 

Jake and Chad discuss Charlotte Wells' AFTERSUN and its subtle beauty. They also give a wish list of things they hope (or pray) will be nominated for Oscars this year.

Jake, Eric, Chad, and Jordan Hadfield all discuss Damien Chazelle's latest movie BABYLON, specifically looking at what makes the movie so divisive and considering where it falls in a ranking of Chazelle's movies.

Eric, Chad, and special guest Jordan Hadfield discuss Knives Out and its Netflix sequel (of a sort) Glass Onion. Specifically, who gives the best performance out of both movies, which of the two movies is better, and what they would like to see in the third Benoit Blanc film.

***AUDIO QUALITY WARNING*** The sound quality of this episode is below par. We apologize for our recording trouble. We hope you will still listen to the episode and have some fun with us. Jake, Chad, and special guest Kresten Erickson talk about Taika Waititi. What are his strengths as a director? Does he have any weaknesses? Why is he so ubiquitous? They also give their top 3 favorite Waititi-directed movies.

Eric, Jake, and Chad discuss the career of famed cinematographer Roger Deakins and reflect on what makes him great.

Jake, Eric, and Chad discuss the power of the Before Trilogy (Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, Before Midnight). Why do they work? Why do they resonate? Do they solidify Linklater's legacy? Also, can you actually rank these three movies when they are so inextricably connected? They also ruminate on the connection to Linklater's filmmaking opus, Boyhood.

Jake, Eric, Chad, and special guest and incredible human Kolton Nielsen talk about the phenomenon that is Top Gun: Maverick. They discuss how good the movie ACTUALLY is related to the way people talk about it. How much of the love stems from nostalgia and how much for the pristine and incredible cinematography. Also, are theaters finally actually back?

Jake, Eric, Chad, and special guest Kolton Nielsen discuss the appeal and Oscar possibilities of the Daniels' EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE. What made it "pop"? They also discuss the return of Ke Huy Quan, as well as the comic booky aspects of the movie. It's a good time.