Best of 2025

The Oscars may have come and gone, the speeches have been made, and the dust has (mostly) settled—but here at Ticket Stubs, we’re not quite finished with 2025 just yet. A little late, perhaps, but right on time where it counts, we’re officially closing the book on the cinematic year that was with our 3rd Annual Harry Dean Awards—the true final word on awards season. Join us as we take one last affectionate look back at the highs, lows, and, above all else, the most memorable moments in film from the past year. From defining performances and standout directorial efforts to our favorite oddball distinctions, returning legends, and everything in between, we sort through a wide array of categories both heartfelt and slightly irreverent. As always, it all builds toward our ultimate honors: Filmmaker of the Year and Film of the Year. Awards season may have crowned its winners—but now it’s our turn to have the final say. As always, please like, subscribe, rate, and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever else you listen! Got thoughts or questions? Email us at [email protected]

Belated but better late than never: Ticket Stubs officially kicks off 2026 with a double feature of icy, unnerving thrillers. This time around, we pair Otto Preminger’s paranoid vanishing act Bunny Lake Is Missing (1965) with David Fincher’s bleak, meticulous adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011). Across decades and continents, both films ask the same quietly terrifying question: what happens when no one believes you? Join us as we unravel questions of identity, credibility, obsession, and the cold machinery of institutions that would rather look away than look closer. Before the mystery deepens, our Blue Plate Special returns with the usual cinematic smorgasbord. We share thoughts on new releases Send Help and Crime 101, take time to remember the lives and careers of Catherine O’Hara and Bud Cort, and hear Levi’s early-stage reflections on diving into David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest. We also offer what are almost certainly already-outdated predictions for Super Bowl 60—because what’s a new year without at least one confidently incorrect take? Whether you’re here for missing children, hackers with dragons tattooed on their backs, or just the comfortable chaos of our opening chatter, we’re glad to be starting 2026 with you. As always, please like, subscribe, rate, and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever else you listen! Got thoughts or questions? Email us at [email protected].

As the year winds down and the calendar flips over, we’re ringing in the New Year with a special bonus episode dedicated to one of our favorite—and most elusive—writers: Thomas Pynchon. In this New Year’s Eve edition of Ticket Stubs, we gather to talk about what Pynchon’s work has meant to us over the years, why his voice remains so singular in modern literature, and how his obsessions with paranoia, the past, and slapstick continue to resonate. From there, we dive into One Battle After Another, the recent adaptation of Vineland from director Paul Thomas Anderson, another favorite of ours. Then, we share our thoughts on Pynchon’s long-awaited new novel, Shadow Ticket, before closing things out by putting our cards on the table with our own personal rankings of his novels. Whether you’re a longtime Pynchon devotee, a curious newcomer, or just looking to close out the year with a little chaos and conspiratorial joy, we hope you’ll spend what's left of 2025, or perhaps even the earliest part of 2026...or actually anytime in the foreseeable (or not?) future...with us. Any and all digressions are welcome when it comes to discussing this artist and his work. And believe me, we take digressions aplenty! As always, please like, subscribe, rate, and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever else you listen. Got thoughts or questions? Email us at [email protected].

It’s that time of year again—when we gather by the fire, sip something warm, and queue up… movies that *technically* take place at Christmas. This week, we’re unwrapping two not-quite-but-definitely-set-during-the-holidays classics: Stanley Kubrick’s eerie yuletide odyssey Eyes Wide Shut (1999) and Steven Spielberg’s breezy cat-and-mouse charmer Catch Me If You Can (2002). While neither film is exactly “festive,” both use the holiday season to cast their stories in a glow equal parts melancholic and mischievous. Before diving into our gift-wrap-adjacent double feature, our Blue Plate Special is packed with plenty of cinematic goodies waiting under the tree. We break down the eyebrow-raising possibility of Warner Bros. being sold to either Netflix or Paramount/Skydance—and what such a shake-up could mean for the future of the film industry. We also share our thoughts on several recent releases we’ve caught (Sentimental Value, The History of Sound, Jay Kelly, and Pavements), react to Quentin Tarantino’s recent comments about Paul Dano and 21st-century cinema, relive our theatrical experience seeing Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair, and pay tribute to the recent losses of Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Jim Ward, Jeff Garcia, Peter Greene, and the legendary Rob Reiner. As always, please like, subscribe, rate, and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever else you listen! Got thoughts or questions? Email us at [email protected].

New name, same show! Overlapping Dialogue is now Ticket Stubs—your go-to stop for double features, deep dives, and all things cinema. This week, we’re celebrating Noirvember in style with a pairing that bridges the past and present of the crime genre: John Boorman’s cold-blooded, acid-tinged revenge saga Point Blank (1967) and Steve McQueen’s taut, politically charged heist thriller Widows (2018). Listen as we dissect their hardboiled aesthetics, fractured moral codes, and the surprisingly emotional depths lurking beneath their genre trappings. But first, on this week’s Blue Plate Special, we take a moment to review the brand-new reimagining of The Running Man and share a rundown of upcoming fall releases we're most excited to catch—just in time for awards season. To all our listeners: we’re thankful for your continued support and wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving! As always, please like, subscribe, rate, and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever else you listen! Got thoughts or questions? Email us at [email protected].

After a year-long hiatus, Overlapping Dialogue is officially back—ringing in the triple digits with our 101st episode! We ease back into the swing of things with a double feature that pits small-town rage against cosmic emotional reckoning: Martin McDonagh’s bruising Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) and Ari Aster’s latest descent into existential dread, the enigmatic and horrific satire of modern life, Eddington (2025). But first, our Blue Plate Special returns with a fresh batch of chatter on the latest film news and releases: we unpack the teaser trailer for Michael, the upcoming Michael Jackson biopic; lament the canceled Ben Solo Star Wars project that might’ve been directed by Steven Soderbergh; and offer capsule reviews of recent releases Roofman, Blue Moon, Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere, and Bugonia. Whether you’ve been with us from the beginning or just now found your way back into the booth, we’re thrilled to be talking movies with you once again. As always, please like, subscribe, rate, and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever else you listen! Got thoughts or questions? Email us at [email protected]

On the eve of yet another Academy Awards ceremony, the team here at Overlapping Dialogue is officially closing the book on 2024 with an affectionate look back at the highs, lows, and, above all else, the most memorable moments of the past year in cinema with our second annual Harry Dean Awards! Listen as we break down the defining "Cracker Barrel" performance of the past twelve months, roll our eyes- semi-affectionately, for what it's worth- at the latest work from Robert Zemeckis, decide on the year's best use of Willem Dafoe, crown our Comeback Player of the Year, and celebrate a host of other categories and distinctions, culminating in our picks for Filmmaker(s) and Film of the Year. Who needs the Oscars when you have the only film awards that truly matter? As always, please like, subscribe, rate, and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever else you listen! Got thoughts or questions? Email us at [email protected]. https://thebigwblog.wordpress.com/2025/01/25/visions-the-brutalist-is-an-unwieldy-epic-no-actually-it-really-is/

To mark the monumental occasion of our (can you believe it???) 100th episode, we turn the Bat-Signal toward one of the most iconic figures in all of pop culture—Batman. In true caped crusader fashion, we’re combining the best of what our podcast has offered with a one-time-only double feature commentary of two films that capture the darkness, complexity, and heroic resolve of Gotham’s protector: Tim Burton’s Batman (1989) and the animated classic Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993). These films hold a special place in our hearts, making this deep dive into the world of the Dark Knight a personal indulgence as we celebrate this milestone. But this episode also marks a turning point for us. While it’s not goodbye, it’s more like an ellipsis—a break before we return with something new and exciting. Stick around until the end for a very important announcement about an entirely new podcast project on the horizon. We can’t wait to see you there! As always, please like, subscribe, rate, and review us on all of our channels, which include Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube! Contact us at [email protected] with your questions, comments, and requests.

Get ready for a whirlwind of emotions as we dive deep into Paul Thomas Anderson’s 1999 San Fernando Valley epic Magnolia with a full audio commentary! Join us as we explore the interconnected lives, chance encounters, and fateful events that shape this self-consciously indulgent narrative. But before we loose ourselves to frogs and familial strife, we kick off the episode with our Blue Plate Special segment, stirring up the latest updates on the ongoing Joaquin Phoenix and Todd Haynes drama- the story that *won't* go away- and dishing out our thoughts on the newly released Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. After revisiting the dark humor of Tim Burton’s world, we turn our attention to Anderson’s own symphony of chaos and emotion, breaking down how Magnolia blends melodrama and fate into one unforgettable cinematic experience. In addition to digging into Anderson’s masterpiece, this is a milestone for us—our 99th episode! Stick around until the end for a special announcement about our exciting plans for the big Episode 100 celebration. Feel free to skip to 1:58:12 for the beginning of our audio commentary. As always, please like, subscribe, rate, and review us on all of our channels, which include Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube! Contact us at [email protected] with your questions, comments, and requests. https://thebigwblog.wordpress.com/2024/09/10/someone-left-the-cake-out-in-the-rain-the-comeback-story-of-beetlejuice-beetlejuice/

Prepare your palate as we serve up a delectable two-courser, diving fork-first into the sumptuous delights of Juzo Itami’s Tampopo and Michael Winterbottom’s The Trip, two films that explore the art of food and the joy of eating in very different yet equally savory ways. But before we get to the main course, we’re sampling a few appetizers with our Blue Plate Special: we stir the pot with the latest update on the Joaquin Phoenix and Todd Haynes behind-the-scenes drama, review new releases Alien: Romulus and Blink Twice, and offer a heartfelt toast in memory of screen legend Gena Rowlands. Finally, we load up our plate and then some with our double feature, exploring how Tampopo’s ramen western blends humor with heart, and how The Trip serves up sharp wit alongside mouth-watering culinary-adjacent tours. Bon appétit! As always, please like, subscribe, rate, and review us on all of our channels, which include Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube! Contact us at [email protected] with your questions, comments, and requests.