The 15 Best Movie Podcasts All Film Fans Need To Check Out
Who doesn’t like movies? One of America’s favorite pastimes is going to the cinema and watching the latest blockbuster or sitting at home on a cold wet night and checking out what’s on your favorite streaming service. Movies provide much joy to millions of people around the world and are a great way to escape from real life for a few hours. But as any movie watcher knows, once you’ve seen a movie you want to talk about it. There’s nothing better than going to a cafe or bar after visiting the cinema with your mates and discussing your thoughts on the film you just watched. The same goes for those sitting at home streaming a movie. But what about if you are alone? That’s where the best movie podcasts fit in.
Podcasts about movies give you the chance to hear what other people think of the latest movie you’ve just watched. But it’s not just movie reviews and critiques. Movie podcasts encompass the whole movie-making industry. Some focus on new cinematic releases or your favorite actor’s movies, while others delve into the backstory of movies or interview famous actors and directors. There really is a podcast for everyone.
To prove this, we have assembled a list of some of our favorite movie podcasts. Each film podcast offers something different for movie fans to digest and we have no doubt you’ll soon find your new favorite podcast on this list.
The 15 Best Movie Podcasts All Film Fans Need To Check Out
1. The Rewatchables
The Rewatchables kicked off at the end of 2015 when The Ringer creator Bill Simmons and fellow podcaster Chris Ryan took a deep dive into Michael Mann’s Heat. Since then there have been hundreds of episodes, with Simmons, Ryan, and fellow The Ringer podcaster Sean Fennessey taking an extensive look at those films you can watch over and over again.
As well as the three main hosts, there are numerous guests who also feature, including media commentator Van Lathan, fellow Ringer cohort Amanda Dobbins, co-creator, showrunner, and executive producer of Showtime’s Billions Brian Koppelman, and director Judd Apatow.
Some of the movies the podcast has featured include Jaws, The Godfather, Predator, Mean Girls, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Fletch, and Father of the Bride. As you can tell, it’s a real mixed bag with something for everyone.
Listen here.
2. How Did This Get Made?
How Did This Get Made? has been providing plenty of laughs for movie fans since premiering in December 2010. The long-running podcast finds hosts Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael, and Jason Mantzoukas (as well as a rotating roster of guests) talking about the worst movies ever made. While not every bad movie discussed is actually terrible, in general, they are movies that have failed critically, if not commercially. This includes the likes of the erotic thriller Killing Me Softly, the Jean Claude Van Damme classic Hard Target, the superhero flick Green Lantern, and Nic Cage’s The Wicker Man remake.
Many of the podcasts are also recorded with a live audience (often in Los Angeles), which brings a whole new energy to the episodes. There have been over 300 main episodes so far, with the crew also putting out minisodes where Scheer answers fan mail, announces the next movie and carries out other housekeeping duties.
The podcast is so popular there have been three spin-off podcasts; How Did This Get Made?: Origin Stories, Unspooled, and How Did This Get Played?, along with French and Danish adaptations.
Listen here.
3. Denzel Washington Is The Greatest Actor Of All Time Period
Here’s a podcast that’s title cannot be disputed: Denzil Washington is the Greatest Actor of All Time Period. Hosted by comedians W. Kamau Bell and Kevin Avery, this show, unsurprisingly, focuses on the filmography of Denzel Washington.
As well as reviewing some of the great man’s work, including Man of Fire, Philadelphia, He Got Game, Training Day, and Glory, the pod discusses “Denzelishness” – which are traits Washington’s characters usually have – and interviews famous people in the movie industry who have worked with Washington, such as screenwriter Gary Whitta (The Book of Eli), and directors Ava DuVernay (Selma), Ryan Coogler (Creed), and Spike Lee (Malcolm X),
The podcast has also expanded its scope, with chats about black cinema and diversity in movies often occurring. While the pod has covered the majority of Washington’s movies already, the greater discussions surrounding him and black cinema are fantastic and make this podcast worth listening to.
Listen here.
4. The Empire Film Podcast
Empire magazine is one of the leading movie publications in the world. The British magazine has been in print since 1989 and brings film lovers the very best news, interviews, features, and reviews about movies from all over the globe. In 2012 the magazine launched its first podcast, The Empire Film Podcast.
Released every Friday, the show features Chris Hewitt, James Dyer, Helen O’Hara, and a rotating fourth host discussing all the latest movie news, reviewing new films, and answering fan questions. This is a fun podcast that doesn’t take itself too seriously, with an array of great special guests often popping in for a chat, with the likes of Daniel Radcliffe, Jennifer Lawrence, and Jamie Lee Curtis appearing on the pod in recent weeks.
Listen here.
5. The Movies That Made Me
From Oscar-nominated screenwriter Josh Olsen and Trailers from Hell leader Joe Dante, The Movies That Made Me is a podcast all about filmmakers and entertainers talking shop about the movies that got them into the business. It’s great to hear from your favorite actors, actresses, directors, and writers about the movies that helped shape who they are.
Recent guests on the podcast include action star, writer, and director Scott Adkins, actor Ethan Hawke, Samurai Jack creator Genndy Tartakovsky, and Gremlins producer Mike Finnell.
Listen here.
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6. Pure Cinema Podcast
If you’re a fan of film history and genre, the Pure Cinema Podcast is for you. Hosted by Elric Kane and Brian Saur, this podcast covers everything from specific genres (even outlandish ones such as “Teen Movie Hell”) to the filmographies of specific directors such as Quentin Tarantino and David Lynch.
The two hosts wax lyrical about all sorts of movie subjects where nothing is off-limits. It’s especially great for those who want to find out more about specific genres of movies or discover new and old films they may never have heard of.
Listen here.
7. The Big Picture
The Big Picture podcast is another fantastic movie pod released under The Ringer banner. Hosted by Sean Fennessy and Amanda Dobbins, the podcast usually follows a similar format whereby the hosts review a new movie and then interview someone involved with it. The podcast also features top 5 lists, movie drafts, film news, Oscar discussions, and a rotating list of special guests that includes fellow Ringer podcasters and famous people in the movie business.
There’s a lot to like about this podcast, with the chemistry between film nerd Fennessy and Dobbins, who has seen far fewer movies but still has strong opinions, very entertaining.
Listen here.
8. Filmspotting
Listen here.
9. The Director’s Cut
If you’ve ever wanted to know more about your favorite directors and the movies they make, The Director’s Cut podcast is for you. Created and hosted by The Directors Guild of America, this pod features a diverse array of directors discussing their latest movie release along with exploring their film past and what it’s really like to be the person behind the camera.
Each episode has a familiar setup – a famous director interviews one of their peers about their latest film. Recent episodes have featured Smile director Parker Finn chatting about his film with fellow horror director Zach Cregger (Barbarian), Bros director Nicolas Stoller talking with Judd Apatow, and Ron Howard and Akiva Goldsman discussing Howard’s Thirteen Lives.
Listen here.
10. The Canon
Although no longer being released, The Canon is one of the great movie podcasts of the past decade. Amy Nicholson and a guest host (after original host Devin Faraci was let go for sexual assault allegations) ponder the big question in life: what movies are worth being added to the Canon of the all-time greatest movies ever made? Nicholson and her guests “debate, discuss, and sometimes harmoniously agree about whether a film should be Canonized.”
Along with discussing the classics like Titanic, The Shawshank Redemption, and The Breakfast Club, Nicolson also looks at recent movies that might deserve to be included, such as Shaun of the Dead, Punk-Love Drunk, and The Departed. There are also special “versus” episodes where Nicholson and her guests pick two popular movies and decide which deserves to enter the Canon.
Listen here.
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11. James Bonding
Hosted by the two Matts, Mira and Gourley, James Bonding is a series about, you guessed it; Bond. James Bond. The duo is joined by a guest and together the three chat about a particular Bond movie, going into great detail about the film and those involved with its creation.
As there are only 25 Bond films to talk about, Mira and Gourley have expanded the Bond universe, with many of the episodes in the podcast discussing everything from their favorite Bond girls and the similarities between Bond and characters like Indiana Jones to interviews with Bond fans and talks about Bond knockoffs, like the hilarious Austin Powers franchise.
Although no longer going, older episodes of the podcast that are hidden behind paywalls are being re-released for free on various podcast platforms.
Listen here.
12. Lights Camera Barstool
As this is a podcast from Barstool, you know that it’s going to be fairly relaxed with a lot of laughs are a few controversial opinions. Whether you’re a film buff, film critic, or someone who just likes listening to people chat about movies, Lights Camera Barstool is the pod for you.
Episodes range from standard movie news and reviews to an ongoing list comprising of the best movies of the 90s and trailer recaps. This podcast has a big social media following, with its YouTube page packed with bonus interviews and episodes.
Listen here.
13. The Cine-Files
The Cine-Files does what it says on the box: two guys talking shit about the movies they love. Hosted by Steve Morris and John Rocha, The Cine-Files is another long-running podcast that focuses on a different movie every episode.
With over 300 episodes, Morris and Rocha have covered all your favorite movies, from cultural touchstones such as Pulp Fiction and Raiders of the Lost Ark to cinematic classics like The Searchers and Misery. Cine-Files is a very informative and interesting podcast that we highly recommend.
Listen here.
14. School of Movies
Veteran podcasters (and husband and wife team) Alex and Sharon Shaw talk about all things movies on their podcast School of Movies. While movies are at the forefront of the conversations had on the pod, with movies like Wonder Woman 1984, Smile, and Ghostbusters: Afterlife all getting single episodes, the Shaw’s also discuss a lot of other pop culture topics.
Video games, books, cartoons, and board games all get a look in on the School of Movies pod, making this perfect for those who are a little nerdy (aren’t we all though?).
Listen here.
15. The Secret History of Hollywood
Want to know more about the early days of old Hollywood? Interested in finding out who the real Cary Grant was? Heard of the name Val Lewton but unsure what he did? These questions and more are answered in Adam Roche’s The Secret History of Hollywood.
There are ten seasons of this in-depth and brain-tickling podcast that is well-researched by Roche, who also writes, narrates, and produces each of the episodes. But be warned; some of the episodes of the podcast run for eight to nine hours! If you can get past this then you’re in for a treat, with The Secret History of Hollywood a fantastic podcast about the movie business full of film stories and great tidbits of information you’re probably unaware of.
Listen here.
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