Episodes
On today's special episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar are joined by special guest and friend of the pod Dani to discuss The Fall Guy, a film that deserved a better box office showing than it had. Together, they discuss whether Emily Blunt is underrated, Ryan Gosling's career arc, how the film undercut its potential with bad marketing decisions, and why films like this are still worth watching in theaters.
Published 06/10/24
Published 06/10/24
On today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar open the show with a detailed breakdown of the newly announced Hall of Legends and why they find Riot's approach severely disappointing. Then, the two move on to discuss the Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare and discuss whether being a "pleasant" experience is good enough to justify watching it.
Published 05/27/24
On today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar check out Dev Patel's directorial debut Monkey Man and discuss which parts land, which punches get pulled, and what they hope to see in his next movie. Also, Chase praised Challengers while Walter condemns Civil War.
Published 05/13/24
On today's very special episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar are joined by friends of the pod Justin and Sky to discuss Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. Together, they discuss the value of the human plotlines, why Mothra is the greatest kaiju of them all, and what is the "new empire" anyway? Check out Sky's fantasy fiction podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tlt7hVrsclA
Published 04/29/24
On today's special episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar are joined by special guest Kristen Pignuolo to discuss Jennifer Lopez's vanity project This Is Me...Now. Together, they discuss how the songs and choreography disappoint, how the film fails to honestly explore its source material, and why J Lo was always going to be a difficult protagonist to get behind.
Published 04/15/24
On today's special episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar take a look at the delightfully terrible Madame Web. Together, they discuss why this movie exists (and whether it should exist in the first place), their favorite ridiculous moments, and whether or not they would recommend this objectively terrible film.
Published 04/01/24
On today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar talk about Dune Part Two - the sequel to a film neither liked when Final Cut began - alongside friend of the pod and huge Dune fan Justin. Together, they discuss how the film compares to the books, what aspects were improved upon in the sequel compared to Part One, and why Walter still wasn't able to jump aboard the Dune hype train.
Published 03/18/24
On today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar continue to sidestep the Oscars (after a brief aside from Chase on Anatomy of a Fall and American Fiction) to focus on films they've always wanted to show each other. This time, Chase introduces Walter to Sorry to Bother You, a deeply anti-capitalist film that takes some big swings with its ending, for better and for worse.
Published 03/04/24
Our two cohosts couldn't agree on any Oscars films to watch this month, so after Chase Wassenar shares his thoughts on Past Lives and Poor Things, the two move on to Walter Fedczuk's pick for the month: the 1996 action film The Rock. Together, the two discuss where Nic Cage's performance ranks in his career pantheon, how Sean Connery improves every film he's in, and so, so many brilliant one liners.
Published 02/19/24
On today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar turn their attention to The Iron Claw, a film that covers one of the most tragic stories in pro wrestling history. Together, they discuss how the film captures the 80s wrestling aesthetic, the strength of the acting performances throughout the film, and how they feel about Chris Von Erich being cut from the film. They also briefly talk about the Oscars and why Walter really isn't feeling it this year.
Published 02/04/24
On today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar continue their Japan-themed month with Hayao Miyazaki's latest film, The Boy and the Heron. Together, they discuss their favorite animation sequences in the film, where the film ranks on the grounded to whimsy scale, and why Chase struggles with certain Miyazaki films.
Published 01/22/24
On today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar start the new year looking at Godzilla Minus One. Together, they discuss what the film gets right that Western fans often miss, how the human and monster stories synergize well, and whether the film sticks the landing with its ending.
Published 01/08/24
On this special holiday episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar are joined by special guest Justin Bunka to discuss John Woo's Silent Night. Together, they discuss how the lack of dialogue affects the film, how the film's pacing holds it back, and how the final scene amplifies the messaging issues found throughout the film.
Published 12/25/23
On today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar turn their attention to the early 1800s with Ridley Scott's Napoleon. Together, they share their favorite iconic one liners from the film, bemoan some of the pacing choices made, and question what the heart of the film should have been if it was going to live up to its potential.
Published 12/11/23
On today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar take a look at David Fincher's latest film, The Killer. Together, they discuss how the film deconstructs our typical movie hitman tropes, how nice it is to have Michael Fassbender back, and how the movie neatly marries its action and themes.
Published 11/27/23
On today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar take a look at Martin Scorcese's 3.5 hour epic, Killers of the Flower Moon. Together, they discuss how the film expertly handles the plight of the Osage tribe, the highs and lows of acting performances across the cast, and their opposing thoughts about the film's ending.
Published 11/13/23
On today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar turn their attention to The Creator, a film they wanted to like much more than they did. Together, they unmask the generic archetype structure that limits the film's narrative potential, share their frustrations on the film's lazy use of AI as a framing device, and discuss whether some good acting performances and worldbuilding choices can save the film.
Published 10/30/23
RRR
On today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar turn a busy week into an opportunity to explore their new passion for Indian films by taking a look back at RRR. Together, they discuss the strong acting performances at the core of the film, their favorite action moments, and where the film's ideology hinders its potential. Ritesh Babu's RRR article: https://www.vox.com/23220275/rrr-netflix-tollywood-hindutva-caste-system-oscars-2023
Published 10/15/23
In today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar experience their first Bollywood film, Jawan. Together, they discuss the film's adherence to the Rule of Cool, how the film's politics enhance an already captivating presence, and why they want to watch more Shah Rukh Khan and Bollywood films moving forward.
Published 10/02/23
On today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar check out DC's newest addition to their movie universe, Blue Beetle. Together, they discuss their previous connections to the character, how the film handles its core themes, and whether this film can separate itself from the "superhero fatigue" that's plagued recent films in the genre.
Published 09/18/23
On today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar take a look at the latest Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film. Together, they discuss the film's iconic art style (⁠film image⁠⁠), whether pop culture references take away from the final product, and how well the film handles its core themes given the target audience
Published 09/04/23
On today's special episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk, Chase Wassenar and special guest Kristen Pignuolo conclude their two-part Barbieheimer journey. In this Oppenheimer episode, the crew discusses the film's issues around historical accuracy, how the writing and pacing helps and hurts the film, and how the film's sound design pays off with its iconic nuclear launch sequence.
Published 08/14/23
On today's special episode of the Final Cut podcast, Walter Fedczuk, Chase Wassenar and special guest Kristen Pignuolo begin their two-part Barbieheimer journeys. In this Barbie episode, they discuss the role Barbie played in their childhoods, how the film makes the most of its fun premise, and why they all hope Barbie two explores the concept of gender after friend of the pod Ruby Layne shares some quick thoughts of their own.
Published 08/07/23
On today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar delve back into the spy world to discuss the latest Mission Impossible film. Together, they discuss how the film weaves comedy into its action bits, the strength of its supporting cast, and why this being a "part one" film didn't hurt nearly as much as previous films they've discussed on the show.
Published 07/24/23