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We're back with our eighth installment of the Oh Brother Criterion Collection reviews, and this one is our fourth Coen Brothers entry — the 2001 neo-noir masterpiece, The Man Who Wasn't There, celebrating its 25th anniversary.

Billy Bob Thornton plays Ed Crane, a laconic small-town barber who speaks little but observes everything. When he discovers his wife Doris is having an affair with her boss Big Dave, Ed hatches a blackmail scheme to fund an investment in a dry cleaning operation — setting off a chain of events that spirals far beyond his control. It's classic Coen Brothers territory: crime, consequence, absurdity, and a richly drawn moral vacuum at the center of it all.

We break down the full cast, including Frances McDormand as Doris, James Gandolfini as Big Dave, a scene-stealing Tony Shalhoub as attorney Freddie Riedenschneider, a very young Scarlett Johansson, and the always reliable John Polito. We also dig into Roger Deakins' stunning black-and-white cinematography — shot in color and reprinted in monochrome — and some of the film's most memorable sequences, including a brilliant tracking shot through an apartment hallway, a hubcap rolling down a hillside, and UFO imagery woven throughout Dennis Gassner's production design.

On the Criterion side, we cover the full supplement package: the Coen Brothers' commentary track from 2004, a new 2025 interview with the brothers conducted by Megan Abbott, the Roger Deakins interview, and more. We also share our thoughts on whether the 4K upgrade is worth it if you already own the Blu-ray.

The Man Who Wasn't There was a box office non-event in its time — roughly $19 million worldwide — but by any other measure it holds up as a quietly remarkable piece of filmmaking. Worth seeking out if you haven't seen it, and worth revisiting if you have.

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The first Star Wars film in seven years is finally here, and we're breaking down The Mandalorian and Grogu with a mostly spoiler-free review. Dan saw it opening night, Mike saw it the night before we recorded, and we are not on the same page — which makes for one of our most honest conversations yet.

We cover everything: the opening weekend box office, whether the film delivers on years of buildup, how it connects (or doesn't) to the Mandalorian series, the new villain Rotta the Hutt, Sigourney Weaver's role, Pedro Pascal's presence in the film, the missing opening crawl, and what the production budget decisions may have cost the final product. We also get into what this film means for the future of Star Wars on the big screen — including the upcoming Ryan Gosling Starfighter film — and whether Disney and Lucasfilm have a real path forward.

If you're a Star Wars fan who just saw the movie and want to hear two brothers who care deeply about this franchise actually dig into it, this is the episode. And if you loved it, we want to hear from you — send us a message using the link in the show notes and make the case.

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We finally got around to Outcome, the new Apple TV+ dark comedy directed by Jonah Hill and starring Keanu Reeves as a sober Hollywood star forced onto an apology tour after a blackmailer threatens to tank his career. On paper, it has everything — a great cast, a sharp premise, Cameron Diaz, Matt Bomer. In practice, it just doesn't work.

We dig into why the film falls short despite its ingredients: the tonal whiplash between its quieter character moments and Jonah Hill's grating lawyer performance, the writing that mistakes shallow self-awareness for depth, and the central casting problem of asking Keanu Reeves to play someone genuinely unlikable. The good news is we find a few things worth talking about, including some standout scenes and what the film almost gets right.

We also go a bit broader this episode. Outcome touches on AI's growing role in celebrity culture and filmmaking, and that conversation takes us somewhere interesting — from the blurring line between real and artificial performance to what it means when Hollywood starts leaning on technology to paper over creative problems.

Not a recommendation, but definitely a conversation worth having.

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We finally saw Michael — Antoine Fuqua's long-awaited biopic about the King of Pop — and we have thoughts. Dan and Mike break down Jaafar Jackson's performance as his legendary uncle, the film's decision to sidestep the 1993 allegations entirely, and whether the finished product does justice to one of the most complicated legacies in music history.

We get into what Fuqua gets right — the recreation of Thriller, the Jackson 5 years, the raw energy of Michael on stage — and what the film conspicuously leaves out. With a 97% audience score and only a 38% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, Michael has sparked a real fan-versus-critic divide, and we fall somewhere in between.

If you've seen it, you know there's a lot to unpack. If you haven't, consider this your spoiler-friendly guide to whether it's worth the trip to the theater.

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This week we're reviewing At Close Range, James Foley's 1986 rural noir crime film — newly available in a 4K restoration from Cinematographe. It's the kind of release that makes you wonder why it took this long. Based on the true story of the Johnston Gang, a Pennsylvania crime family whose reign ended in betrayal and murder, the film stars Sean Penn as Brad Whitewood Jr., a young man who seeks out his estranged father only to find someone far more dangerous than he bargained for. Christopher Walken plays Brad Sr. — and it's one of his most unsettling performances, not because of theatrics, but because of how still and certain he is in every scene.

We talk through the full film: what holds up, what the 4K presentation brings out visually, and why this one never quite got its flowers the first time around. Penn and Walken are the obvious draw, but the supporting cast — Mary Stuart Masterson, Chris Penn, Crispin Glover, Kiefer Sutherland — gives the film a texture that a lot of crime dramas from this era are missing. Director James Foley and cinematographer Juan Ruiz Anchía built something that looks genuinely stunning in this new transfer.

We also get into the Madonna factor — how "Live to Tell" came to be the film's centerpiece, and how it lands in context versus how most people know it.

This is the kind of film a 4K box set was made for. We break down whether it lives up to the occasion.

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We're diving deep into Alex Proyas' 1998 neo-noir sci-fi thriller Dark City — and we came out the other side completely won over. This one is a full recommendation from both of us, and if you've been sleeping on it, this episode is your sign to finally watch it.

We start at the beginning with a conversation about the film's complicated theatrical release, including the infamous studio-mandated voiceover that opens the original cut and how the Director's Cut restores Proyas' intended vision. It's a fascinating case study in how test screenings and studio interference can shape — and sometimes undermine — a film's impact, and we get into all of it.

From there we work through the film itself: Rufus Sewell's compelling lead performance, a career-best turn from Kiefer Sutherland as the hunched and unsettling Dr. Schreber, and Jennifer Connelly bringing real emotional weight to what could have been an underdeveloped role. We also spend time on the Strangers — their design, their purpose, and the genuinely eerie mythology Proyas builds around them.

At its core, Dark City is a film about memory and identity — what makes us who we are, and whether those things can be manufactured or taken away. We explore how those themes hold up today and why they give the film a philosophical depth that sets it apart from other genre films of the era.

We also get into the production side — the remarkable practical effects work, the budget constraints that paradoxically pushed the filmmakers toward more creative solutions, and the clear cinematic DNA connecting Dark City to everything from Metropolis to Blade Runner to The Matrix (which filmed on the same sets just a year later). And we close out celebrating the film's legacy, its critical reappraisal over the years, and why physical media is still the best way to experience this one properly.

Dark City deserved a much bigger audience in 1998. Better late than never.

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We're back with a full review of Marty Supreme, one of the most talked-about Oscar-nominated films of the year — and honestly, one we'd been looking forward to digging into since the nominations dropped. We break down everything: Timothée Chalamet's career-redefining performance, the Safdie Brothers' meticulous directorial vision, the stunning period authenticity of the set design, and what makes this film feel like something genuinely different in the current landscape of hustle-driven storytelling.

The conversation covers the real-life influences behind the film, the themes of ambition and dreaming big that run through every scene, and what makes Josh Safdie's solo direction so compelling: a meticulous, choreographed visual style that gives Marty Supreme its distinct energy. We also get into the supporting cast, some surprising cameos, and what A24's continued awards success means for the kinds of films that are getting made and celebrated right now.

We don't agree on everything — the ending sparked some debate — but both of us came away feeling like this was one of the stronger entries in this year's Oscar class. If you haven't seen Marty Supreme yet, this episode will give you plenty of reasons to change that. And if you have, we think you'll find a lot to agree with — and maybe a few things to push back on.

We also spend some time in the back half of the episode talking about the broader state of cinema: what AI means for the future of filmmaking, how marketing shapes public perception of prestige films, and why we still believe a great year at the movies is worth celebrating. All 10 Best Picture nominees this year are worth your time, and Marty Supreme is near the top of that list.

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We're reviewing Hamnet, the 2025 historical drama directed by Chloé Zhao and starring Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal. The film is based on Maggie O'Farrell's bestselling novel and tells the story of William Shakespeare's family — specifically his wife Agnes and their 11-year-old son Hamnet, whose death from plague in 1596 is widely believed to have inspired the creation of Hamlet.

It's a film about grief, marriage, and what it costs to make art while the people around you are suffering. Buckley won the Golden Globe and the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance here, and it's the kind of role that stays with you long after the credits roll.

We break down everything — the performances, Chloé Zhao's direction, the emotional gut-punch of the third act, and whether the film lives up to the enormous awards season buzz it generated. Does Hamnet earn its reputation as one of the best films of 2025? We get into it.

New episodes drop every Wednesday for all listeners. Subscribe to get early access every Monday.

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