Thank you for your insightful review of Jesus Christ Superstar! I saw this movie when I was 7 years old. Maybe I was a bit young to see it, but JCS made a huge impact on me! I memorized every word to every song of this brilliant rock opera!
Love you Amy and Paul! Keep up the great work!
I love movies, movie podcasts, Paul and HDTGM, and I have tried to love this but it’s just not consistent.
I cringe frequently when Amy speaks because she inevitably has a personal issue with a filmmaker that often has very little to do with the film itself. Or it dredges up some memory for her or an ex-boyfriend, etc… She’s often too precious and overwrought and the artificial-sounding laugh gets under my skin after a while. Sometimes her moralizing can also feel puritanical and severe.
Paul seems eager to find agreement, so they tend to go down these overly saccharine or hyper-critical groupthink roads where all objectivity is lost.
I’ve listened to dozens of episodes and some are far better than others, but overall, I just don’t enjoy listening to this podcast.
Why didn’t you do a bit of research on how to pronounce Mozart? It was so distracting that I couldn’t finish the episode. You seriously don’t know that it’s Mots-art?
I enjoyed this when they were doing the AFI list, but now that they’ve moved on it’s impossible to get past the feeling you’re listening to an audiobook of a middle-schooler’s Tumblr page.
and usually enjoy these reviews which make me want to rewatch the classics. The latest episode on Amadeus though, was ridiculous. They mispronounced Mozart the entire time! HOW HOW HOW. Was so distracting I had to turn it off. You can’t just mispronounce the name of the most famous composer ever.
Used to listen to this pod bc I like movies and am interested in the breakdown and behind the scenes stuff. I stopped bc I can’t stand Amy’s takes as they are all so much about her personal issues and past. Was bored and listen to the Ferris episode and yet again she is back at it ripping on the Sloan character and said she would be the gummy bear girl. This is how she decides to be critical , bc she was a loser growing up. Makes sense and hopefully I remember to never listen to her pods again. Paul you are very good and could do much better without her.
I, somehow, just made it through the entirety of the Goodfellas episode and, for as long as the episode was, I didn’t get too much out of this.
I think Paul Scheer is a funny, intelligent person and this was my first exposure to Amy. What I can say is that these two are on a collision course and only one can survive. This was the most combative ‘critical’ take I’ve heard where one party, Amy, was absolutely unwilling to budge on her viewpoints and, in some part, held me hostage to listen to her opine about her perception of bad casting for, what, 45 minutes?!
Insanity - but I’ll probably listen to some other episodes because I do like a companion!
Exhausting!
fantastic in-depth adult discussion of film. Really enjoy the hosts different backgrounds. They both seem like people I would love to hang out and watch movies with just to have the discussion afterwards. Some of the hot takes can seem clunky but I know they are coming from a good place
Both of them are way too woke to analyze movies in a non-biased way. I love the selections, but if there’s anything even remotely demeaning to women in a movie, or women don’t get enough lines, or WHATEVER they feel somehow cheats women, it’s going to get discussed throughout the review. If Amy doesn’t agree with the overall feel of the movie, I.e. if it’s too male-centric, she will hold that over the entire movie. Her review of Goodfellas is probably the best example of this, & it’s utterly ridiculous. No one wants to have politics with their movie reviews; movies are part of our ESCAPE from that crap. I understand sometimes it’s un-avoidable not to bring up certain issues involving certain people, like Weinstein for example. But we really don’t need your take on equal rights when we’re just trying to be entertained. We’re not trying to be educated with your values. Sometimes you just get tired of people trying to preach to you; it’s so hard to avoid nowadays.
All in all, I love this podcast. I’ll listen to an episode about a movie that I’ve seen dozens of times, and without fail, Amy and Paul will present a fact or perspective or message from the film that I’ve never considered. I appreciate how the podcast has evolved over time; the original premise is great, but I like how Unspooled has expanded the conversation over time.
The only reason it’s not a 5 out of 5 for me is that I feel that the discussion can be unbalanced. I love that both hosts bring a lifelong love of films, with Paul’s insight on the industry side and Amy’s background research and critic’s eye. I also feel that we are really listening to two longtime friends having these talks. Maybe that’s why it seems like Paul tends to co-opt the conversation a bit. I recently listened to the Midsommar episode, and there were whole sections that I fast-forwarded because Paul was talking in circles about grief and community. Those things are important, but it felt more like a rambling train of thought rather than a relevant movie discussion. Whenever Amy had the chance to speak, I appreciated that she brought it back to the meat of the movie, discussing the characters and production rather than just general emotions. It’s a trend I’ve noticed on quite a few episodes, and it feels like Amy generally lets Paul go on while Paul is more likely to interrupt Amy’s sections.
It sounds like a lot of folks enjoy Paul’s style (and for good reason), so this might be a less popular opinion. And again, I know that friends have their own conversation flows that might not appeal to everyone. However for me, I’d prefer if the long trains of thought were edited a bit and that there was less interrupting each other over all.
I like this podcast, but Paul runs over her opinions on things that are clearly subjective, which makes it so cringey it’s hard to listen to sometimes.
Long time listener and I absolutely love this show. Both hosts are incredibly intelligent, well versed, and a pleasure to listen to. The negative reviews on this page are pretty laughable, and the one criticizing Amy’s voice has me scratching my heard. Amy, you’ve got a perfect voice. And please go ahead and stay woke, for those of us listening with a functioning brain. That being said, please do Straw Dogs soon.
I want to love this show but, ugh the film choices. I can’t 😞
I love both these two people, even if it’s a bit of an echo chamber when they’re discussing a film’s cultural significance.
I’ve also never heard before any of the songs she chooses for the “what was happening in the charts the year this film came out” 😂 for real not one song. And I’m a pretty normal dude lol
Amy is all over the place. Is that the critic in her? She’s off the wall w some of the things she says. Love Paul. Love movies so happy I found this podcast. Stay away from talking politics please. I want to get away for the hours I listen. Will continue to listen to this podcast! Also- is this still movies going to space? Or it doesn’t matter anymore? Don’t end this podcast! Xo
I’m so heartbroken because I have listened to this show so much, love it so much, but I can no longer listen after witnessing the ways Paul has treated fans who’ve spoken out about genocide. Absolutely heartbreaking. Shame on him. Thousands of deaths. Fans who are trying to engage with you — who believe in you, even if you’re confused about how to address apartheid — should not be treated that way. It’s very disappointing. I’ll miss this show.
On the Rocky Horror Picture Show:
“I have seen this movie SO many times! At the beginning when Brad and Janet are getting married…”
Brad and Janet are at someone else’s wedding. They aren’t getting married. That’s a huge part of the movie’s plot.
Sloppy. Stopped listening at this point.
Fine enough podcast but in every episode, they have to have a “woke” moment, we get it, cant we just enjoy the movie for what it is and not your hidden agenda.
HDTGM is a fun podcast, the 3 hosts have a great dynamic and their guests are almost always an enjoyable listen.
But this. I was so excited for the premise and the fills up for conversation and review. So I hit play on the Fargo episode, as that is one of my favorite films. I immediately find Amy’s voice hard to listen to. Some of us (myself included) simply do not have a voice for radio. That’s ok, not a make or break.
They start the episode discussing Christmas Vacation, and she delivers maybe the worst take on a movie I have ever heard, and does so with a level of smug pretension that is borderline baffling. It’s a silly, classic Christmas movie. And at this point, I’m thinking of walking out on this podcast - mind you I’m driving and listening in my car, so I’m basically considering a duck-and-roll type of move. It’s like anti-entertainment with no value. But I keep going. Let’s give this a real chance, I have to literally eat out loud to myself.
The moment they move on to Fargo and her immediate reaction was essentially “meh,” I knew all I needed to know. I’mma stick with HDTGM.
I like the hosts fine, but the podcast has really abandoned its premise of finding the best 100 American Movies. Most of the movies they discuss now are from the late 80’s and early 90’s. They are just doing the same thing they criticized the AFI for doing by picking only a certain type of movie from a certain time. Can we get some movies from the 1940’s or maybe the 2010’s? More films by women? More documentaries? Animated movies? I think I would like the podcast more true to its premise and more varied in the movies they discussed.
Last comment: Listening to the Porco Rosso pod now and choosing Porco Rosso over every other Miyatzaki film is ridiculous. I am listening to them talk about pig dicks for 5 minutes instead of hearing about any of the other half dozen masterpieces Miyatzaki has made.
I thoroughly enjoy this podcast. I like how they have both a female and male perspective and allow each other to express their interpretations openly without bringing each other down. Only reason it has 4 stars is bc the editing could use some work. Some episodes (specifically Blade) literally has cut back and forth to what I just heard them say 5 min ago. I had to skip it bc I was getting so confused. Besides that, I love it!
Could be five stars if they keep their lazy political views out of it.
Both hosts are fun, but sometimes I think Amy is just trying to be contrarian to everything that Paul says
I’ve been a fan of this podcast for a while and recently listened to pee wee’s big adventure (one of my favorites). It was such an amazing deep dive. Amy and Paul also did a fantastic job with Willy wonka, the little mermaid, and the Labyrinth (more favorites from my childhood.) Amy is clearly fantastic at her job. Even if I don’t agree with every word she says, I always learn so much from her and Paul. I hope Amy doesn’t read the negative reviews here, and if she does, I hope she knows they are all ridiculous.
Honestly shocked to come here and find people heaping praise and Paul, Mr. Malapropism himself, and tearing down Amy. Really, you take issue with her use of the word ‘like?’ Meanwhile, Paul has just stepped on her original take to fill two minutes with searching for the right word, only to come with some off the wall idiom that he misuses. This show feels like Amy is a babysitter for an 18 year old who has taken mushrooms for the first time, just helping him along, comforting him, supporting his banal revelations. I love it.
Never a dull moment…as I go through past episodes they were throwing at 95 mph from day 1 …highly entertaining and thoughtful. Thx for the P.Rubens episode.
She is the definition of white neoliberal oppressor who pretends to be woke while utterly spitting in the face of a women-led, racially intersectional working grassroots movement. She makes rich white feminism into an art form. She’s annoying, uninformed, and smug.
Paul is great, he’s our ‘everyman’, and I love his takes on movies. While Amy is our real movie historian/reviewer and deserves respect despite what some hateful (anti-American) trolls claim her political ideas are driving her opinions, but since everything is politics... whatever.
When the new breed of not-so closeted fascist/conservatives start pointing to SJW’s & wokeness I have to wonder if they recognize their tolerance for fascism as the thoroughly un-American activity it is. This really is the majority opinion. If it weren’t for all the trolls in the reviews this would have the ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️’s it definitely deserves. Trolls can go listen to OAN/Fox “News” and leave these American treasures alone. Great Movies and great analysis.
I just started listening to this show and I do enjoy the choices of movies they talk about. Paul really has an enjoyable insight into movies I’ve love. Amy has her moments but I can definitely see why a lot of reviews point at her as the reason they can’t keep listening. Amy talking about what a kids movie is on the Conan the Barbarian episode is utterly dumbfounding. Her saying the 89 Batman movie was made for kids has to be one of the most tone deaf comments I’ve ever heard. There’s a lot about her comments that confuse me and baffle me at times. But I will give her props for being as passionate as she is about movies she loves like Frankenstein and Young Frankenstein.
After listening to the Back to the Future episode I’m definitely lost on Amy’s perspective. Her taking the show on a huge tangent of “what would our world be like without the influence of Spielberg” was exhausting. I understand the concept she’s trying to go with but it just feels like she’s just against something to be against it. Even without his influence I still believe that there was something going on during the 80s where a lot of the movies we got would get made just on the talent and creativity in those movies.
The longer I listen Amy is a personality I’m more and more frustrated listening to. But I will say her dour perspective can really help Paul shine. Still a podcast I plan to listen to based on the movies they talk about, but I will be cringing the more her perspective seeps in.
Love Amy and Paul and the work they do. But my downloads via iTunes have several glitches every episode. There are repeated sections sprinkled throughout. Does Earwolf have quality assurance staff? I would give the podcast 5 stars if someone could maintain playback quality.
is really rough and distracting. Karina Longworth presumably listened to the complaints and changed so perhaps there’s hope. It’s different from the usual 80s “valley” speak, although Amy does say “like” way too often. This and the ridiculous hyperbole she trots out, a lot (this movie would be a thousand times a million gazillion percent better if fill-in-the-blank) are the hardest to take. Paul is Paul, so few issues, there.
Listening to the Children of Men episode, Amy and Paul go on, and on and on, about the evils of capitalism while they show only their ignorance of capitalism. What the hosts, and most people are confused about is that they dislike “Corporatism,” not capitalism. They’re two different things.
But the best part is hearing them gripe about “capitalism,” but really “corporatism” destroying the world and then cut to a McDonald’s commercial. McD’s is a company that utilizes cheap beef from other countries. Other countries that do not have the regulations of the US and so they, Amy and Paul are contributing to the very thing they hate .
Just listened to the 1989 Little Mermaid review/retrospective and I was impressed by how bonkers and twisted it was. When you view that film through our hyper selfish, self important, I’m the most important thing in the universe lens, then yes, it’s going to come off strange because the main protagonist’s don’t act that way and are not obsessed about being politically correct. The idea of a woman or a man sacrificing something of themselves to be with the one they love is a very perverted and disgusting concept in our current culture. Why would you sacrifice for someone when you are the most important thing in the relationship, which is a current view of our “me first” world, so of course it comes off laughable. So I recommend this podcast because it really shows how broken our current world is.
Amy is the Skip Bayless of Film Critics. Love the movies they talk about, but if the film is at all a crowd pleaser or popular in any way Amy hates it....never really has a reson other then being a Contrarian
I was brought here via the Too Scary, Didn’t Watch podcast, where Amy did a great job recapping and dissecting Eraserhead as a guest host. Having listened to several episodes of Unspooled, I am quickly becoming a big fan. I like the combination of discussing the movies, their overarching themes, and the larger context in which these films are made and viewed. Fantastic podcast for anyone who wants to hear smart, funny people who really love movies discuss some of their favorite (or in some cases, not so favorite but nevertheless intriguing/interesting) films.
I really want to like this pod but it is a real struggle. Paul had great perspective and insights but I find Amy’s comments ranging from grating to bizarre. She consistently nitpick’s some of the best movies of all time. I guess I should start with movies I don’t like and maybe I’ll find something I agree with her on.
Amy sometimes blows me away with an incredibly interesting take on a film, and I think that’s where you see the real benefit of having a professional film critic as a co-host. And Paul brings the levity and energy needed to keep things upbeat and moving.
My very minor criticism is that, while Amy is thoughtful and intelligent, I also suspect she grew up very wealthy, with almost no non-white friends. I could be wrong but it’s just the vibe I get from some of her opinions (especially Gone with the Wind oof) and her personality in general, which can make some of her takes seem very odd/frustrating/sheltered.
But again, I really do think the show is great and both hosts make it an enjoyable listening experience.
Update: why in earth does amy think Sebastian the crab is British? 🤣🤣🤣 he was always Jamaican.
I really only listen to the show occasionally bc the movie choices don’t interest me often. But, I am looking forward to Labyrinth.
I feel bad but amy’s voice just gets under my skin. I think Paul cld prob do the show better even alone.
I propose a drinking game for every time Amy mentions an exboyfriend in an episode! The more I listen the more I'm thinking Amy is the problem (not the endless string of exboyfriends!!) Paul Scheer is a gift to mankind! He can do no wrong! Bravo Paul, bravo!!
