This Movie Saved My Life

Miles and John wander into the strange world of Hokum to unpack haunted houses, Celtic folklore horror, and why some places feel haunted long before anything supernatural arrives. Along the way, they explore the uncanny, folk horror, and the unsettling feeling that a house may not be haunted at all, but simply built too close to something old.

Three Spielberg films. No easy emotions.With filmmaker Sam Coale, we dive into 1941, A.I., and Empire of the Sun—the moments where Spielberg’s control slips and something deeper emerges. 

In this episode, we're celebrating the 20th anniversary of a film that took over conversations, quotes, and everyday life. Which film? Listen and find out. 

Thirty years after its release, Trainspotting still hits like a jolt to the system — a film about addiction and dead ends that somehow became a rallying cry for living. John and Miles are joined by Shawn C. Baker (The Horror Vision) to explore how Danny Boyle’s kinetic, transgressive masterpiece turns nihilism into something strangely life-affirming. Why does this film still feel so urgent, and what does it mean to “choose life” today?

In this episode, John and Miles explore how the original Star Wars trilogy became a kind of emotional survival guide—A New Hope teaching us how to believe again, The Empire Strikes Back showing us how to live with failure, and Return of the Jedi reminding us that sometimes the bravest act is letting go. Along the way, they pay tribute to Catherine O’Hara, Robert Duvall, and Frederick Wiseman, reflecting on the many ways artists help us endure the systems and chaos of life. 

John and Miles kick off 2026 by reintroducing themselves to you, dear listener, as well as answering questions and talking about their most anticipated films of 2026. They also discuss the latest film in the 28 Days franchise - The Bone Temple. 

Listen as Miles and John break down 2025: what worked, what didn't, and some very pleasant surprises. 

We're back with one of our end-of-year anniversary celebrations, this time with two years-in-movies that were well-celebrated in 2025. Listen as John and Miles talk about their favorite films of 1995 and 1975. 

John and Miles talk about Michael Mann's Heat - one of the best L.A. neo-noirs ever made - turning 30 this year. Listen as they talk about their history with the film and what it means to them today. 

In this episode, John and Miles bid farewell to internationally renowned actors Tatsuya Nakadai and Homayoun Ershadi, as well as a discussion of Richard Linklater's latest film Nouvelle Vague. 

John and Miles discuss Guillermo Del Toro's Frankenstein and how it holds up to other versions and John's love for the original novel. 

Happy Halloween, dear listeners! In this episode, we are once again joined by Shawn C. Baker from The Horror Vision podcast. Listen as we discuss our top five favorite British horror films of all time. 

In this episode, John and Miles talk about their love for the horror film streaming channel Shudder and Joe Bob Briggs (aka "Joseph Robertson Brigadier"). 

John and Miles discuss Paul Thomas Anderson films, focusing on his latest work One Battle After Another. 

Listen as John and Miles discuss the latest FX series Alien: Earth, created by Noah Hawley. 

We continue our exploration of Chicago films, discussing High Fidelity (Stephen Frears, 2000) and Judas and the Black Messiah (Shaka King, 2021). 

John and Miles discuss a few of their favorite films set in one of their favorite film cities: Chicago. In part one of this two-part series, listen as they talk about the horror film Candyman (1992) and Michael Mann's crime thriller Thief (1981). What will they talk about next? Stay tuned. 

Listen as John and Miles discuss season 4 of The Bear and their response to The NY Times "Best of the Century So Far" list (kind of). 

In this episode, we're joined by friend of the show and host of The Horror Vision podcast. Listen as we talk about 28 Years Later and our top five zombie movies of all time. 

Listen as John and Miles discuss why Airplane is the greatest comedy film of all time. 

John and Miles discuss why Jaws, 50 years later, is still a perfect film. 

We're back with another installment of Unwatchable. Listen as the hosts assign each other a film that they think will make the other recoil in horror. 

While co-host John recovers from surgery, listen to our classic episode "Unwatchable" from 2021.  We'll be back in May with "Unwatchable: Part 2," where the hosts assign each other films they think the other would struggle to sit through.  

In the latest episode, John and Miles pay tribute to the late Gene Hackman by discussing Clint Eastwood's noir-western Unforgiven (1992) and Hackman's noteworthy films. 

John and Miles are back with a new installment in their recurring Los Angeles and Film series: Collateral (Michael Mann, 2004), starring Jamie Foxx and Tom Cruise. Listen as the two discuss the film and recount their favorite L.A. night driving moments.  

In our latest episode, John and Miles chat about films they've seen recently, why Spielberg's The Fablemans is too safe, and the hilarious insanity that is Hundreds of Beavers (Mike Cheslik, 2022). 

In this episode, John and Miles discuss their thoughts on the passing of director David Lynch, as well as the impact of the L.A. fires and finding courage in the face of troubling times. 

Listen as John and Miles break down Robert Eggers's long-awaited Nosferatu remake, as well as some of their favorite vampire films of all time. 

Listen as John and Miles discuss their favorite films and television series for 2024. 

John and Miles reflect on films of 1999, 25 years on. What films made their top 5 list?

Listen as John and Miles discuss the aftermath of the election and Sean Baker's new film Anora, the perfect post-election film. 

For our Halloween episode, we dive deep into one of John's favorite films, Ridley Scott's 1979 masterpiece Alien.

Special guest Shawn Baker from The Horror Vision podcast is back! In this episode, John, Miles, and Shawn share their top 5 directors that they wish would do a horror movie. 

Miles and John sit down to talk politics and the upcoming election by taking the listeners on a personal journey through the films that help us make sense of it all. 

John and Miles discuss Francis Ford Coppola's latest film Megalopolis. Did we enjoy it or did we head for the hills? Listen and find out. Follow up on instagram @thismoviesavedmylife

We're back! In this episode, John and Miles talk about films that they may have been wrong about after their first viewing. Which films did they grow to like? Which films did they eventually dislike? 

We're off for early September, but we'll be back in two weeks with a new episode. In the meantime, enjoy our throwback episode from early 2021 on Food and Film, featuring restauranteur and chef Monica Dimas. 

Took us long enough to do a Tarantino episode. It's here now. Listen as John and Miles discuss their experiences with Tarantino's films, from Reservoir Dogs to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. 

Listen as John and Miles discuss the latest season of the Hulu series The Bear, as well as 70 mm film festivals, 90s music, and why Olivia Coleman would be fun to party with. 

Listen as John and Miles discuss Ti West's latest film Maxxxine. 

In our third and final episode of our 1994 retrospective, John and Miles are joined by filmmaker and podcaster Sam Coale (Back to the Frame Rate podcast and Walks of World) to discuss the action thriller Speed, starring Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock, and Dennis Hopper. 

We are joined once again with special guest Shawn C. Baker from The Horror Vision podcast to continue our exploration of films from 1994. Listen as we talk about John Carpenter's In the Mouth of Madness, Charles Burnett's The Glass Shield, Kevin Smith's Clerks, and Danny Boyle's Shallow Grave. 

The first part of our 1994 retrospective. Listen as John and Miles deep dive into Peter Jackson's "Heavenly Creatures," Tim Burton's "Ed Wood," Atom Egoyan's "Exotica," and Frank  Darabont's The Shawshank Redemption. 

In our latest episode, John and Miles talk about exploitation films of the 60s and 70s , and how these films have much to teach us about possible solutions to Hollywood's present-day crisis. 

We're back. John became a Dad. Miles became a Godfather. So they decided to continue with the family theme and discuss Francis Ford Coppola's landmark film. 

Miles and John chat about family films, focusing on Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master and Kore-eda's Shoplifters. We also chat about True Detective: Night Country, Fallen Leaves, and The Holdovers. 

John returns to Seattle University for a live audience recording of This Movie Saved My Life with the Seattle University Filmmakers Club. Miles joins virtually from a snowbound Bellingham, and with their audience they talk about some of their favorite filmgoing experiences and university screenings. 

John and Miles are joined by special guest musician Armen Yampolsky for a discussion on Maestro (Bradley Cooper, 2023), the real Leonard Bernstein, classical music in film, and biographical films. 

John and Miles give their top 5 for 2023, plus honorable mentions. 

For our holiday episode, Miles and John discuss their favorite Christmas films and the 30th anniversary of the release of Tombstone.