Film friend Gabriel Brown (arthouse theater programmer, filmmaker, all-around movie nerd) joins Josh and Wally to talk about the best movies they saw in 2025.Check us out on YouTube:📹 https://www.youtube.com/@wallyfilmLike what you see? Consider supporting the filmmaker at: ☕️ ⁠⁠https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wallyfilm⁠⁠Subscribe to my newsletter:⌨️ ⁠https://wallyfilm.substack.com/welcome⁠Follow what I'm watching on Letterboxd: 📽️ ⁠⁠https://letterboxd.com/inwidescreen/⁠⁠Learn more about Wally Films:🎬 ⁠⁠⁠https://www.wallyfilms.com/⁠⁠⁠

What is a Christmas movie? Wally and Josh have VERY different takes on this age-old debate. Along the way, they reminisce about their favorite Christmas movies.00:03:37 Josh’s definition of a Christmas movie00:07:11 Side tangent: When the “setting is a character.”00:09:28 Wally’s loosey goosey definition of a Christmas movie00:14:00 Chris Columbus, the king of the Christmas movieIS THIS A CHRISTMAS MOVIE?00:15:39 Die Hard00:17:36 The Holdovers00:19:06 Love Actually00:20:54 Black Christmas (by Bob Clark, the other King of Christmas)00:23:33 Side tangent: Why do movie serial killers make such a dang mess?00:24:30 Side tangent: Crime Scene Cleaner video game00:25:59 In Bruges (with a special appearance by Mystery the Cat)00:28:48 Batman Returns00:31:31 Todd Haynes’ Carol00:33:11 Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring00:35:06 The Wizard of Oz00:35:59 John Waters’ Pink Flamingos00:36:55 Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut00:39:01 The Nightmare Before ChristmasOUR FAVORITE CHRISTMAS MOVIES00:43:23 Joe Dante’s Gremlins (Josh)00:48:26 National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (Wally)00:50:23 Lewis Jackson’s Christmas Evil (Josh)00:53:42 Sean Baker’s Tangerine (Wally)00:57:25 Satoshi Kon’s Tokyo Godfathers (Josh)01:01:07 Bob Clark’s Christmas Story (Wally)01:03:46 Jim Henson’s Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas (Josh)01:06:26 Side tangent: Open Stage’s production of Emmet Otter01:07:59 Chris Columbus’ Home Alone movies01:09:53 Brian Henson’s A Muppet Christmas Carol (Josh and Wally)01:16:39 Are any Christmas Carol adaptations horror movies?Check us out on YouTube:📹 https://www.youtube.com/@wallyfilmLike what you see? Consider supporting the filmmaker at: ☕️ ⁠⁠https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wallyfilm⁠⁠Subscribe to my newsletter:⌨️ ⁠https://wallyfilm.substack.com/welcome⁠Follow what I'm watching on Letterboxd: 📽️ ⁠⁠https://letterboxd.com/inwidescreen/⁠⁠Learn more about Wally Films:🎬 ⁠⁠⁠https://www.wallyfilms.com/⁠⁠⁠Get tickets for Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas at Open Stage:🎟️ ⁠https://www.openstagehbg.com/shows/emmetotter⁠

Join Wally and Josh as they recount their adventures in Japan — including a pilgrimage to the grave of master filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu — and share some of their favorite works of Japanese cinema.00:00:29 What we’ve been up to: Emmet Otter’s Jug Band Christmas00:04:10 What we’ve been up to: Film Festivals00:05:00 Shai Carmeli-Pollak’s The Sea at Centre Film Festival00:07:47 Our trip to Japan00:29:03 Visiting Kita-Kamakura and paying respects to Yasujiro Ozu00:39:18 Our quest to find Machiko Soga and Kogo Noda’s graves00:45:44 The World of Yasujiro Ozu: Good Morning, Late Autumn, Tokyo Story, and more!00:50:40 Takashi Miike’s Audition00:53:22 Kiyoshi Kurosawa: Cure, Tokyo Sonata, Cloud, Chime, and more!00:58:17 Obligatory Hayao Miyazaki nerd-out01:00:01 Satoshi Kon’s Perfect Blue01:02:36 Hirokazu Kore-eda: After Life, Shoplifters, Monster, and more!01:05:29 Shinichirou Ueda’s One Cut of the Dead01:09:01 Side tangent: Chris Smith’s American Movie01:09:45 Mikio Naruse: When a Woman Ascends the Stairs, Sound of the Mountain, Yearning and more!01:15:10 Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuichi’s Shin Godzilla01:19:25 Kinuyo Tanaka’s The Moon Has Risen01:24:14 Screaming Mad George’s The Guyver01:26:35 Nobuhiko Obayashi’s House (Hausu)01:32:22 The things we are thankful forCheck us out on YouTube:📹 https://www.youtube.com/@wallyfilmLike what you see? Consider supporting the filmmaker at: ☕️ ⁠https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wallyfilm⁠Subscribe to my newsletter:⌨️ https://wallyfilm.substack.com/welcomeFollow what I'm watching on Letterboxd: 📽️ ⁠https://letterboxd.com/inwidescreen/⁠Learn more about Wally Films:🎬 ⁠⁠https://www.wallyfilms.com/⁠⁠Get tickets for Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas at Open Stage:🎟️ https://www.openstagehbg.com/shows/emmetotter

Paul joins Wally as they talk about a busy fall taking RIVER CITY STORIES to film festivals, as well as avoiding burnout, rocking cardigans, and recording a public service announcement about the importance of off-year elections.Check us out on YouTube:📹 https://www.youtube.com/@wallyfilmLike what you see? Consider supporting the filmmaker at: ☕️ ⁠https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wallyfilm⁠Subscribe to my newsletter:⌨️ https://wallyfilm.substack.com/welcomeFollow what I'm watching on Letterboxd: 📽️ ⁠https://letterboxd.com/inwidescreen/⁠Learn more about Wally Films:🎬 ⁠https://www.wallyfilms.com/⁠Get tickets for River City Stories at the Red Rose and Centre County film festivals:🎟️ Nov. 7 & 8: ⁠⁠https://redrosefilmfestival.com/⁠🎟️ Nov. 16: ⁠https://centrefilm.org/⁠

Join us for a special crossover episode with ⁠The Biz Bruja⁠ herself, Vanessa Codorniu, as we talk about improv comedy, the art of being silly, and the joy of embracing your inner payaso.Check us out on YouTube:📹 https://www.youtube.com/@wallyfilmLike what you see? Consider supporting the filmmaker at: ☕️ ⁠https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wallyfilm⁠Subscribe to my newsletter:⌨️ https://wallyfilm.substack.com/welcomeFollow what I'm watching on Letterboxd: 📽️ ⁠https://letterboxd.com/inwidescreen/⁠Learn more about Wally Films:🎬 https://www.wallyfilms.com/Get tickets for River City Stories at the Red Rose and Centre County film festivals:🎟️ Nov. 7 & 8: ⁠https://redrosefilmfestival.com/🎟️ Nov. 16: https://centrefilm.org/

Fresh off a successful run of River City Stories (Part 2), Paul and Wally talk about the latest Spike Lee joint, Highest 2 Lowest, and various issues facing cities big and small.Check us out on YouTube:📹 https://www.youtube.com/@wallyfilmLike what you see? Consider supporting the filmmaker at: ☕️ ⁠https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wallyfilm⁠Subscribe to my newsletter:⌨️ https://wallyfilm.substack.com/welcomeFollow what I'm watching on Letterboxd: 📽️ ⁠https://letterboxd.com/inwidescreen/⁠Learn more about Wally Films:🎬 https://www.wallyfilms.com/

Just in time for Harrisburg Fringe Festival, Paul and Wally recount some of their favorite — and perhaps less favorite — experiences making RIVER CITY STORIES as the next round of stories screens at Midtown Cinema July 17-19.Check us out on YouTube:📹 https://www.youtube.com/@wallyfilmGet tickets for River City Stories and Cinderella at Harrisburg Fringe: 🎟️ July 17-20: ⁠https://www.hbgfringe.com/ticketsLike what you see? Consider supporting the filmmaker at: ☕️ ⁠https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wallyfilm⁠Subscribe to my newsletter:⌨️ https://wallyfilm.substack.com/welcomeFollow what I'm watching on Letterboxd: 📽️ ⁠https://letterboxd.com/inwidescreen/⁠Learn more about Wally Films:🎬 https://www.wallyfilms.com/

Just in time for Pride, Josh and Wally recount some of their favorite LGBTQ+ themed films, ranging from Pre-Code Hollywood through modern-day classics. 00:02:30 River City Stories and the Harrisburg Fringe Festival00:05:41 Cinderella at Fringe00:09:18 Mrs. Doubtfire and Robin Williams00:13:17 Mike Nichols’ The Birdcage00:17:56 Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope00:24:47 Pre-Code Movies and Baby Face00:27:56 Nightmare on Elm Street Part II00:31:30 Sidney Lumet’s Dog Day Afternoon00:36:35 Jamie Babbit’s But I’m a Cheerleader00:39:23 Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight00:43:27 The Rocky Horror Picture Show (Fake-out)00:43:58 Hairspray and the films of John Waters00:47:26 John Cameron Mitchell’s Hedwig and the Angry Inch00:52:16 Reprise: Mike Nichols’ The Birdcage00:55:13 Sean Baker’s Tangerine00:59:37 Bury Your Gays Pick: Andrew Haigh’s All of Us Strangers01:03:37 Bury Your Gays Pick: Tom Ford’s A Single Man01:06:14 Queer-coded Villains: Doctor Pretorius in Bride of Frankenstein01:07:09 Queer-coded Villains: Herbert West in Re-Animator01:07:45 Queer-coded Villains: Joel Cairo and His Gang in The Maltese Falcon01:08:35 Queer-coded Villains: Ursula in The Little MermaidCheck us out on YouTube:📹 https://www.youtube.com/@wallyfilmGet tickets for River City Stories and Cinderella at Harrisburg Fringe: 🎟️ July 17-20: ⁠https://www.hbgfringe.com/ticketsLike what you see? Consider supporting the filmmaker at: ☕️ ⁠https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wallyfilm⁠Subscribe to my newsletter:⌨️ https://wallyfilm.substack.com/welcomeFollow what I'm watching on Letterboxd: 📽️ ⁠https://letterboxd.com/inwidescreen/⁠Learn more about Wally Films:🎬 https://www.wallyfilms.com/

Join us for a special crossover episode with The Biz Bruja herself, Vanessa Codorniu, and River City Stories collaborator Paul Hood as we discuss what inspires our creativity. Along the way, we also talk about Alfred Hitchcock, Spike Lee, and what we've inherited from our ancestors.Get tickets for River City Stories: 🎟️ May 16 & 18: ⁠https://zoetropolis.com/movies/river-city-stories/⁠Subscribe to my newsletter:⌨️ https://wallyfilm.substack.com/welcomeFollow what I'm watching on Letterboxd: 📽️ ⁠https://letterboxd.com/inwidescreen/⁠Learn more about Wally Films:🎬 https://www.wallyfilms.com/🔮 ⁠https://www.thebizbruja.com/⁠

Inspired by Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, an epic vampire tale set in 1930s Mississippi, Josh and I talk about some of our favorite blood-sucking horror films of all time — everything from F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu (the O.G.) to Grace Jones’ underrated performance in Vamp.00:49 SIR Christopher Lee and Dracula01:43 The Man with the Golden Gun (And Three Nipples)04:14 Creature Feature Weekend and Hacktress04:57 Ryan Coogler’s Sinners09:08 Robert Johnson and “Preacher Boy”13:13 Lovers Rock meets From Dusk Till Dawn23:20 Dracula and Nosferatu, the O.G.’s36:58 Tomas Alfredson’s Let the Right One In39:50 Abel Ferrara’s The Addiction41:20 Jim Jarmusch’s Only Lovers Left Alive45:01 Richard Wenk’s Vamp49:45 Joel Schumacher’s Lost Boys55:20 Josh Dorsheimer’s Cinderella at Fringe56:15 River City StoriesCheck us out on YouTube:📹 https://www.youtube.com/@wallyfilmGet tickets for River City Stories: 🎟️ May 16 & 18: ⁠https://zoetropolis.com/movies/river-city-stories/⁠Like what you see? Consider supporting the filmmaker at: ☕️ ⁠https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wallyfilm⁠Subscribe to my newsletter:⌨️ https://wallyfilm.substack.com/welcomeFollow what I'm watching on Letterboxd: 📽️ ⁠https://letterboxd.com/inwidescreen/⁠Learn more about Wally Films:🎬 https://www.wallyfilms.com/