Us (2019)

Hi everyone, Josh here. As you can see since you tapped or clicked on this episode, this is the finale of Film Explorers, a show that the four of us have spent years of our life working on. In this episode, we go back to the very beginning of cinema history and our own with A TRIP TO THE MOON. We then go long talking about our favorite episodes and moments together, our love of what we created together, and what the future holds. I think I can speak for all four of us in saying that we are incredibly proud that we had the opportunity to put something out onto the Internet, as rough and stupid as it often was. And we’re proud that every week, someone decided to press play. It means a lot that anyone ever decided to take time out of their day to listen to even a minute of our voices, and we will always be unbelievably appreciative of those who did that more often.You can still follow us all on Letterboxd, feel free to reach out to each of us. Below are the links:JacksonJoeyJoshSutherlandAnd with that I leave with you our final episode. It’s a complete mess that I refuse to edit down so that you can witness the raw emotional state that this recording put us in. This one’s incredibly special. We will miss you all dearly as we continue into the unknown.

12 YEARS IN THE MAKING.This episode, we’re all back for one last traditional episode talking about Richard Linklater’s BOYHOOD. We talk about beginnings and endings, capturing time in a bottle, and what the next step is for each of us.Chapters:00:00:00 Intro00:06:07 What We Watched00:43:31 Boyhood01:27:58 Final Thoughts + Ratings01:43:46 OutroEmail us at [email protected] with any feedback, suggestions, or messages that we can read on the show!Links:⁠Jackson on Letterboxd⁠Joey on Letterboxd⁠Josh on LetterboxdSutherland on Letterboxd⁠Film Explorers is mixed and edited by Josh :)

ALL HIS LIFE, RAY KINSELLA WAS SEARCHING FOR HIS DREAMS. THEN ONE DAY, HIS DREAMS CAME LOOKING FOR HIM. This episode, Jackson and Josh tackle one of the ultimate dad movies, Phil Alden Robinson's FIELD OF DREAMS starring Kevin Costner. We talk about baseball obviously, but specifically why it's such a mainstay of American cinema, why it speaks to Jackson so much, and why every movie ever should have James Earl Jones.Chapters:00:00:00 randomly talking about Quantum Leap for three minutes and 41 seconds00:03:41 Intro + Next Episode00:07:56 Field of Dreams00:53:39 Final Thoughts + Ratings00:58:18 OutroEmail us at [email protected] with any feedback, suggestions, or messages that we can read on the show!Links:⁠Jackson on Letterboxd⁠⁠Josh on Letterboxd⁠Film Explorers is mixed and edited by Josh :)

A FAMILY ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWNThis week, we continue our oddly scheduled sprint to the finish with one of Jackson's final picks, LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE. We talk about indie family dramas being Jackson's bread and butter, grandfathers on film, getting really emotional about pushing a van, and Breaking Bad alumni.Chapters:00:00:00 Intro00:05:47 What We Watched00:37:28 Little Miss Sunshine01:08:35 Final Thoughts + Ratings01:15:38 OutroEmail us at [email protected] with any feedback, suggestions, or messages that we can read on the show!Links:Jackson on LetterboxdJoey on LetterboxdJosh on LetterboxdSutherland on LetterboxdFilm Explorers is mixed and edited by Josh :)

MORE THAN ONE WEARS THE MASK. IT’S HOW YOU WEAR THE MASK THAT MATTERS.This week, Josh and Sutherland dive deep INTO AND ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE, its fractals of animation, its effusive adoration for the comic book medium, and how it’s changed the game for so many different types of media. We also talk about a ton of movies and television that we watched in between episodes, like the newest Mission: Impossible, Apocalypse Now, and tons more.Chapters:00:00:00 Intro00:01:19 What We Watched00:14:51 Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse & Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse01:03:40 Final Thoughts + Ratings01:09:21 OutroEmail us at [email protected] with any feedback, suggestions, or messages that we can read on the show!Links:Josh on LetterboxdSutherland on LetterboxdFilm Explorers is mixed and edited by Josh :)

THE MAGIC OF MOVIES, THE MYSTERY OF MEMORY.This week, we cover a filmmaker who is long overdue for an episode on our show, Satoshi Kon and his 2001 exploration of very medium of film and its effervescence, MILLENNIUM ACTRESS. We talk about the beauty of having no idea what to say, the power of memory, and the rarity of a movie that captures what it feels like to truly love this art form.Chapters:00:00:00 Intro00:03:50 What We Watched00:15:29 Next Week + Scheduling Weirdness00:19:39 Millennium Actress00:54:41 Final Thoughts + Ratings01:03:32 OutroEmail us at [email protected] with any feedback, suggestions, or messages that we can read on the show!Links:Jackson on LetterboxdJoey on LetterboxdJosh on LetterboxdSutherland on LetterboxdFilm Explorers is mixed and edited by Josh :)

WATCH YOURSELF.This week, we cover one of the great horror directors of the modern era with Jordan Peele’s US. We talk horror at the Oscars, comedians venturing into genre film, and how instantly iconic the imagery of Us has become. We also recap some of the new releases we've caught up with, Josh watches some Final Destination movies, Jackson finishes Season 2 of The Last of Us, and we attempt to schedule the rest of this month to disastrous results.Chapters:00:00:00 Intro00:03:05 What We Watched00:32:31 Us01:13:37 Final Thoughts + Ratings01:20:39 OutroEmail us at [email protected] with any feedback, suggestions, or messages that we can read on the show!Links:Jackson on LetterboxdJoey on LetterboxdJosh on LetterboxdSutherland on LetterboxdFilm Explorers is mixed and edited by Josh :)

IT ALL ENDS.Joey's final month of picks culminates with the end of his personal favorite film franchise, HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 2. We talk about modern franchise filmmaking, our histories with Harry Potter, and why this film just had to be picked before the show ended. We also catch up with Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, Josh starts back up with their Through the Years challenge, and Jackson watches First Blood.Chapters:00:00:00 Intro00:04:34 What We Watched00:22:42 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 201:19:21 Final Thoughts + Ratings01:29:55 Next Week + OutroEmail us at [email protected] with any feedback, suggestions, or messages that we can read on the show!Links:Jackson on LetterboxdJoey on LetterboxdJosh on LetterboxdSutherland on LetterboxdFilm Explorers is mixed and edited by Josh :)

HOW FAR YOU FALL DOESN’T MATTER, IT’S HOW YOU LAND…This week, we cover one of the seminal French films of the 1990s and one of the highest rated films of all time on Letterboxd, LA HAINE. We talk about '90s politics, putting off watching classics, a history of French cinema leading to this point, and also Morbius. We also get into a ton of Marvel movies, Josh takes a trip to Los Angeles, and Jackson struggles with his Internet.Chapters:00:00:00 Intro00:05:50 What We Watched00:40:23 La Haine01:24:55 Final Thoughts + Ratings01:29:04 Next Week’s Pick + Jackson’s Picks for Next Month + OutroEmail us at [email protected] with any feedback, suggestions, or messages that we can read on the show!Links:Jackson on LetterboxdJoey on LetterboxdJosh on LetterboxdSutherland on LetterboxdFilm Explorers is mixed and edited by Josh :)

LONG LIVE THE FIGHTERSThis week, we cover one of the most discussed films of the last year and one of our single most mentioned movies in the history of the show as a part of Joey's final four picks, DUNE: PART TWO. We talk unbelievably epic filmmaking, dropping hot takes about movies with a 4.4 on Letterboxd, and how the world's biggest Dune fan feels about this movie. We also go in depth with spoilers on Thunderbolts*, Josh catches Until Dawn in theaters, we talk about Skinamarink, the Creep movies, the Coen brothers, and more.Chapters: 00:00:00 Intro00:05:46 Thunderbolts* (SPOILERS)00:20:03 Our Excitement about Summer Movie Season00:24:14 What We Watched00:39:00 Dune: Part Two01:46:06 Final Thoughts + Ratings01:53:39 Next Week’s Pick + OutroEmail us at [email protected] with any feedback, suggestions, or messages that we can read on the show!Links:Jackson on LetterboxdJoey on LetterboxdJosh on LetterboxdSutherland on LetterboxdFilm Explorers is mixed and edited by Josh :)