The Long Take Review
@thelongtakereview.bsky.social
Four college professors talk film -- providing insight, not assigning homework.
https://thelongtake.substack.com/podcast
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https://thelongtake.substack.com/podcast
https://tr.ee/sFKfcE3T2d
Guillermo del Toro has waited his whole life to adapt Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. But do critics and audiences think the Gothic tale starring Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi was worth the wait? Could the Netflix film receive Oscar nominations? On this episode, we tackle this question and many more.
November 19, 2025 at 7:37 AM
Guillermo del Toro has waited his whole life to adapt Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. But do critics and audiences think the Gothic tale starring Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi was worth the wait? Could the Netflix film receive Oscar nominations? On this episode, we tackle this question and many more.
How does Kathryn Bigelow’s nuclear attack thriller A House of Dynamite hold up? We had a healthy debate covering to what extent the unconventional structure of the film worked, what the film might be trying to say about nuclear proliferation, and which members of the deep bench ensemble stood out.
November 8, 2025 at 1:06 AM
How does Kathryn Bigelow’s nuclear attack thriller A House of Dynamite hold up? We had a healthy debate covering to what extent the unconventional structure of the film worked, what the film might be trying to say about nuclear proliferation, and which members of the deep bench ensemble stood out.
Luca Guadagnino has had some success with the Academy, but he has yet to have his big Oscar moment. Many predicted that his new film, with big stars and a thriller story, could change that. Then people actually saw After the Hunt. What did we make of it? Hear our reactions as we try to unpack it!
November 2, 2025 at 12:36 AM
Luca Guadagnino has had some success with the Academy, but he has yet to have his big Oscar moment. Many predicted that his new film, with big stars and a thriller story, could change that. Then people actually saw After the Hunt. What did we make of it? Hear our reactions as we try to unpack it!
We were lucky enough to attend a screening of Park Chan-wook’s thriller-comedy, No Other Choice, at the Newport Beach Film Festival. We liked it so much we couldn’t wait until December to talk about it. Come check out our thoughts on its social commentary, innovative camerawork, and dark humor.
October 26, 2025 at 6:14 PM
We were lucky enough to attend a screening of Park Chan-wook’s thriller-comedy, No Other Choice, at the Newport Beach Film Festival. We liked it so much we couldn’t wait until December to talk about it. Come check out our thoughts on its social commentary, innovative camerawork, and dark humor.
Casablanca is a classic, consistently ranked as one of the best films ever made. We couldn’t have been happier when our friend Ross Hollebon suggested that we discuss it on the LTR Guest List. We share our favorite performances & iconic quotes, as well as unpack the themes behind the timeless story.
October 19, 2025 at 8:51 PM
Casablanca is a classic, consistently ranked as one of the best films ever made. We couldn’t have been happier when our friend Ross Hollebon suggested that we discuss it on the LTR Guest List. We share our favorite performances & iconic quotes, as well as unpack the themes behind the timeless story.
The Venice Film Festival went wild for Benny Safdie’s The Smashing Machine, based on the life and struggles of MMA/UFC Fighter Mark Kerr. When the film opened in theaters last weekend, however, the box office was a huge disappointment. What is the decision of The Long Take Review crew?
October 10, 2025 at 4:50 AM
The Venice Film Festival went wild for Benny Safdie’s The Smashing Machine, based on the life and struggles of MMA/UFC Fighter Mark Kerr. When the film opened in theaters last weekend, however, the box office was a huge disappointment. What is the decision of The Long Take Review crew?
The superlatives thrown around the new Paul Thomas Anderson movie are hard to believe: it’s his best film, the best film of the year, even the best of the decade. Could it live up to all that hype? We try to answer that, unpack why it feels both timely and timeless, and much more. Check it out!
October 3, 2025 at 8:53 PM
The superlatives thrown around the new Paul Thomas Anderson movie are hard to believe: it’s his best film, the best film of the year, even the best of the decade. Could it live up to all that hype? We try to answer that, unpack why it feels both timely and timeless, and much more. Check it out!
We launch into award season with the kind of prestige drama that was designed for the fall: an adaptation of Ben Shattuck’s The History of Sound. We talk about the decades-spanning drama starring Paul Mescal and Josh O'Connor, plus since we've all read the text, we get in some book club time!
September 26, 2025 at 8:24 PM
We launch into award season with the kind of prestige drama that was designed for the fall: an adaptation of Ben Shattuck’s The History of Sound. We talk about the decades-spanning drama starring Paul Mescal and Josh O'Connor, plus since we've all read the text, we get in some book club time!
When our favorite critics travel across the globe — from Venice to Colorado and Toronto — to watch and review new movies, Oscar addicts like us sit up and pay attention. It’s never what anyone expects. We share our winners, losers, and head-scratchers coming out of recent festival premieres.
September 11, 2025 at 9:32 PM
When our favorite critics travel across the globe — from Venice to Colorado and Toronto — to watch and review new movies, Oscar addicts like us sit up and pay attention. It’s never what anyone expects. We share our winners, losers, and head-scratchers coming out of recent festival premieres.
The air is turning crisp and the coffees are getting pumpkin spiced, but we want to do a quick recap on Summer 2025. On this episode, we debrief the season, reliving the highs (biplanes!), the lows (mutant dinosaurs!), and the forgotten (what is an Elio?). Listen along as we reveal our superlatives!
![A collage of screenshots from Jurassic World Rebirth, Superman [2025], and Lilo & Stitch [2025]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:4hhjraahggmnal4c3nvc2kft/bafkreica6imdm3rmea4assonasb5nqy2o4xx5l7lmpgjv2k3f3s7wrhfze@jpeg)
September 4, 2025 at 11:32 PM
The air is turning crisp and the coffees are getting pumpkin spiced, but we want to do a quick recap on Summer 2025. On this episode, we debrief the season, reliving the highs (biplanes!), the lows (mutant dinosaurs!), and the forgotten (what is an Elio?). Listen along as we reveal our superlatives!
Is an author allowed to deny any interpretations of his film? In our discussion of the movie Weapons, we debate how much the film is trying to say something vs. what it’s actually saying to us, as well as why the film is structured in the way it is and how scary it actually is.
August 29, 2025 at 6:08 PM
Is an author allowed to deny any interpretations of his film? In our discussion of the movie Weapons, we debate how much the film is trying to say something vs. what it’s actually saying to us, as well as why the film is structured in the way it is and how scary it actually is.
In more ways than one, The Fantastic Four: First Steps defied expectations. It was well-received by many critics, but the box office returns have been lacking. In this episode, we share our range of reactions to the film, and then proceed to debate what works, what doesn’t work, and our faves.
August 20, 2025 at 6:40 PM
In more ways than one, The Fantastic Four: First Steps defied expectations. It was well-received by many critics, but the box office returns have been lacking. In this episode, we share our range of reactions to the film, and then proceed to debate what works, what doesn’t work, and our faves.
And here is Part 2 of our discussion of the best movies of the 21st Century, covering our picks from #1-6. Let us know how we did!
August 18, 2025 at 6:43 PM
And here is Part 2 of our discussion of the best movies of the 21st Century, covering our picks from #1-6. Let us know how we did!
When The NY Times released its full list of “The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century,” we realized it deserved an episode. Then, after recording, we realized it should be two! So in Part 1, we talk about the NYT list, our list-making processes, and reveal of picks #7-10. Part 2 coming next week!
August 6, 2025 at 7:43 PM
When The NY Times released its full list of “The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century,” we realized it deserved an episode. Then, after recording, we realized it should be two! So in Part 1, we talk about the NYT list, our list-making processes, and reveal of picks #7-10. Part 2 coming next week!
Who knew the movie of the summer would be an animated feature about KPop stars who protect the world from demons? Guest hosts Hasib and Ann join Jen to pick favorite songs, break down the themes of the story, and Ann drops her extensive knowledge about the influence of Korean culture on the film.
July 23, 2025 at 11:24 PM
Who knew the movie of the summer would be an animated feature about KPop stars who protect the world from demons? Guest hosts Hasib and Ann join Jen to pick favorite songs, break down the themes of the story, and Ann drops her extensive knowledge about the influence of Korean culture on the film.
It’s a bird…it’s a plane…it’s…the biggest movie of the summer? So did James Gunn do it? Did he do justice to Superman? Did he successfully launch the new DCU? On this episode, we question, we fight over CGI animals, and wrestle with how the movie exists in the current state of world politics.
July 16, 2025 at 9:16 PM
It’s a bird…it’s a plane…it’s…the biggest movie of the summer? So did James Gunn do it? Did he do justice to Superman? Did he successfully launch the new DCU? On this episode, we question, we fight over CGI animals, and wrestle with how the movie exists in the current state of world politics.
In this Oscar Fairy Flashback episode, we look back at the 90th Academy Awards, a stacked year of beloved movies and less beloved winners. Between The Shape of Water, Lady Bird, Get Out, Call Me By Your Name, Phantom Thread, and others, we had some tough choices to make — find out how we did!
July 8, 2025 at 7:36 PM
In this Oscar Fairy Flashback episode, we look back at the 90th Academy Awards, a stacked year of beloved movies and less beloved winners. Between The Shape of Water, Lady Bird, Get Out, Call Me By Your Name, Phantom Thread, and others, we had some tough choices to make — find out how we did!
Even with Formula 1’s global popularity, can F1: The Movie be a winner of the summer? We speculate about F1’s future success in terms of both box office and awards. We also explore this as a cinematic experience, debate the screenplay’s attitude to its main character, and discuss the film’s release.
July 1, 2025 at 7:20 PM
Even with Formula 1’s global popularity, can F1: The Movie be a winner of the summer? We speculate about F1’s future success in terms of both box office and awards. We also explore this as a cinematic experience, debate the screenplay’s attitude to its main character, and discuss the film’s release.
If you were Dakota Johnson, would you choose Pedro Pascal or Chris Evans? We reveal our thoughts as we delve into what whether The Materialists is as much a rom-com departure from Celine Song's Past Lives as its marketing suggests and what Song has to say about dating, marriage, and market value.
June 28, 2025 at 11:28 PM
If you were Dakota Johnson, would you choose Pedro Pascal or Chris Evans? We reveal our thoughts as we delve into what whether The Materialists is as much a rom-com departure from Celine Song's Past Lives as its marketing suggests and what Song has to say about dating, marriage, and market value.
When Steven Spielberg made Jaws in 1975, he changed Hollywood filmmaking forever. To mark the film's 50th anniversary, we couldn’t be happier to celebrate it with our longtime friend, Sarah Hastings. We pinpoint what makes this film hold up, break down Spielberg’s use of genre, and more!
June 20, 2025 at 4:59 PM
When Steven Spielberg made Jaws in 1975, he changed Hollywood filmmaking forever. To mark the film's 50th anniversary, we couldn’t be happier to celebrate it with our longtime friend, Sarah Hastings. We pinpoint what makes this film hold up, break down Spielberg’s use of genre, and more!
Wes Anderson has a new film for all you girl dads. The Phoenician Scheme stars a customary starry ensemble in a story about fortune, family, and, yes, schemes.
On this episode, we shoutout our favorite players from Anderson’s troupe and try to discern what messages the film might be conveying.
On this episode, we shoutout our favorite players from Anderson’s troupe and try to discern what messages the film might be conveying.
June 16, 2025 at 7:46 PM
Wes Anderson has a new film for all you girl dads. The Phoenician Scheme stars a customary starry ensemble in a story about fortune, family, and, yes, schemes.
On this episode, we shoutout our favorite players from Anderson’s troupe and try to discern what messages the film might be conveying.
On this episode, we shoutout our favorite players from Anderson’s troupe and try to discern what messages the film might be conveying.
Director Mike Flanagan brings us another Stephen King adaptation, the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) audience award winner, The Life of Chuck. We debate if the film succeeds with its attempts to balance different narrative flavors. Thanks, Chuck!
June 5, 2025 at 4:41 PM
Director Mike Flanagan brings us another Stephen King adaptation, the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) audience award winner, The Life of Chuck. We debate if the film succeeds with its attempts to balance different narrative flavors. Thanks, Chuck!
Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning, came out this past weekend. On this episode, we dive into what we thought of the film. What were our favorite callbacks? Who was our MVP in the cast? How were the themes different than the preceding film? And what is our final rank(en)ing of the series?
May 30, 2025 at 7:24 AM
Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning, came out this past weekend. On this episode, we dive into what we thought of the film. What were our favorite callbacks? Who was our MVP in the cast? How were the themes different than the preceding film? And what is our final rank(en)ing of the series?
It is an absolute delight to finally be able to review an MCU film that everyone else seems to like: Jake Schreier’s Thunderbolts*. We rejoice in critics’ declaration that Marvel is back on track, unpack the themes of this story, and debate what this film says about the future of Marvel’s slate.
May 20, 2025 at 10:26 PM
It is an absolute delight to finally be able to review an MCU film that everyone else seems to like: Jake Schreier’s Thunderbolts*. We rejoice in critics’ declaration that Marvel is back on track, unpack the themes of this story, and debate what this film says about the future of Marvel’s slate.
Our guest for the inaugural episode of the LTR Guest List, Karl LaClair, is the co-host of one of The Wampa’s Lair and Chaplain & Coordinator of Christian Life at Brandeis University. Karl chose Edward Berger’s Conclave, a political thriller set in the Vatican. Join us for a new look at the film!
May 14, 2025 at 7:37 PM
Our guest for the inaugural episode of the LTR Guest List, Karl LaClair, is the co-host of one of The Wampa’s Lair and Chaplain & Coordinator of Christian Life at Brandeis University. Karl chose Edward Berger’s Conclave, a political thriller set in the Vatican. Join us for a new look at the film!