For this week's main podcast review, I am joined by Alyssa Christian, Dan Bayer, Giovanni Lago & returning guest Zoe Rose Bryant to review and discuss the newest film from Jacques Audiard, "Emilia Pérez" starring Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofía Gascón, Selena Gomez, Adriana Paz & Édgar Ramírez. A genre mashup that tells the unique story of a drug crime lord who desires to undergo gender-affirming surgery, the Netflix film has polarized audiences since its world premiere at Cannes, garnering...

Introducing Education in the Age of AI from Smart Talks with IBM. Follow the show: Smart Talks with IBM The role of AI in the classroom is evolving rapidly. When students and teachers embrace this technology, it has the ability to democratize access to education through programs like IBM SkillsBuild. In this episode of Smart Talks with IBM, Dr. Laurie Santos, host of Pushkin’s The Happiness Lab podcast, spoke with two innovators in the space. Justina Nixon-Saintil is Vice President and Chief...

"Ultraman: Rising" is a Japanese-American co-production between Netflix Animation and Tsuburaya Productions, with animation by Industrial Light & Magic; it is the 44th film in the franchise with Shannon Tindle making his feature directorial debut. The film stars Christopher Sean as Ken Sato/Ultraman, along with the voices of Gedde Watanabe, Tamlyn Tomita, Keone Young, and Julia Harriman. The film was released worldwide on Netflix over the summer and received positive reviews for its...

Introducing How Open Source can Democratize AI from Smart Talks with IBM. Follow the show: Smart Talks with IBM In a rapidly evolving AI landscape, open-source models can further accelerate the pace of progress and help expand access to all. In this episode of Smart Talks with IBM, Malcolm Gladwell sits down with Mo Duffy, Software Engineering Manager at Red Hat. They discuss InstructLab and the benefits of open-source technology, such as flexible deployment and the ability to enhance...

"A Real Pain" had its world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, where it won positive reviews for Jesse Eisenberg's direction, screenplay, and performances from him and Kieran Culkin. The film, only the actor's second directorial feature, is already being talked about as a potential awards season player, and we were lucky enough to chat with Eisenberg for a few minutes during the theatrical promotion of the film to gather his thoughts on the reception toward the movie, hear...

Introducing Transformations in AI: Why Foundation Models are the Future from Smart Talks with IBM. Follow the show: Smart Talks with IBM Major breakthroughs in artificial intelligence research often reshape the design and utility of AI in both business and society. In this special rebroadcast episode of Smart Talks with IBM, Malcolm Gladwell and Jacob Goldstein explore the conceptual underpinnings of modern AI with Dr. David Cox, VP of AI Models at IBM Research. They talk foundation models,...

"Flow" had its world premiere at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section, where it received positive reviews for its animation, dialogue-free story, and score. It is now the the Latvian entry for Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards. Director, Writer, Producer, and Composer Gints Zilbalodis was kind enough to spend some time talking with us about his work on the film, which you can listen to or watch below. Please be sure to check out the film,...

Introducing Near Death Experiences from How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality. Follow the show: How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality People have been having Near-Death Experiences (NDEs) all over the world for as long as we can look back into history. And the strange thing is… these experiences seem to have a lot in common. Why? Is it a look into the afterlife? Is it just our neurons firing in weird ways as the brain dies?  We’ll talk to psychiatrist Bruce Greyson,...

"The Substance" has been one of the most talked-about films of 2024 ever since it had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. Most of the conversation has centered around Coralie Fargeat's maximalist direction, Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley's performances, Dennis Quaid eating shrimp, and, of course, the film's awe-inspiringly disgusting makeup work. Special Makeup Effects Designer And Supervisor Pierre Olivier Persin was kind enough to spend some time talking with us about his work...

Introducing Levels to Beautification from Levels to This with Sheryl Swoopes and Terrika Foster-Brasby. Follow the show: Levels to This with Sheryl Swoopes and Terrika Foster-Brasby On this episode of Levels to This, Sheryl and Tee talk to two instrumental women in WNBA Glam: Amadi Brooks and Danii Uke. The group discuss how the two broke into the industry, some of their favorite clients and looks, and the importance of feeling comfortable in your own skin both as a current and retired...

"Conclave" had its world premiere at the 2024 Telluride Film Festival, where it received positive reviews for its writing, direction, performances, score, editing, and cinematography. Academy Award-nominated Director Edward Berger, screenwriter Peter Straughan, editor Nick Emerson, and Academy Award-winning composer Volker Bertelmann were all kind enough to spend some time with us talking about their Vatican-set political thriller based on Robert Harris's novel. Please be sure to check out...

Introducing Ezra Klein on Where Democrats Go From Here from Pod Save America. Follow the show: Pod Save America Jon and New York Times columnist Ezra Klein, host of The Ezra Klein Show, talk through what we know about how Democrats started to lose working-class and lower-information voters—even before 2024—how social media and interest groups drive those divides, why blue states and cities shifted right, and what progressives can do to tackle the affordability crisis. DISCLAIMER: Please...

"All We Imagine As Light" had its world premiere at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the festival's Grand Prix prize and received some of the most glowing reviews of the year for its writing, direction, cinematography, and performances. Director/Writer Payal Kapadia was kind enough to talk with us during the New York Film Festival about her work on the film, which you can listen to and watch below. Please be sure to check out the film, which will play in New York at Film Forum and...

Introducing INTERVIEW: Rachel Leviss’ Publicist Juliette Harris. Tuesday, November 12th, 2024 | Sarah Fraser from The Sarah Fraser Show. Follow the show: The Sarah Fraser Show In this episode, I had the pleasure of hosting Juliet Harris, a renowned Hollywood PR manager known for her work with stars like Lady Gaga and Britney Spears, and most notably, Rachel Leviss from "Vanderpump Rules." Juliet shared insights into her work with Rachel, including is Rachel returning to VPR S12? We...

For this week's second podcast review, I am joined by Josh Parham, Dan Bayer & Will Mavity to review and discuss the latest film from Academy Award-winner Steve McQueen, "Blitz," starring Saoirse Ronan, Harris Dickinson, Elliott Heffernan, Benjamin Clementine, Kathy Burke, Paul Weller, Stephen Graham, Erin Kellyman & Leigh Gill. Depicting WWII London during the blitzkrieg bombings, the film is the largest, most ambitious project McQueen has tackled yet. What did we think of it? Tune...

Introducing So You say You’re a Cynic from How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality. Follow the show: How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality There’s no question we’re living in difficult times that lead many of us to adopt a cynical outlook. But while cynicism might feel smart, science shows it’s corrosive not only to our own wellbeing, but to society as a whole. We’ll talk to Stanford Professor of Psychology Jamil Zaki about the surprising benefits that a willingness...

"The Penguin" just concluded its first season last night with an explosive finale that has audiences talking and eagerly looking forward to what might be next for Colin Farrel's Oswald "Oz" Cob. We were lucky to speak with the show's production designer, Kalina Ivanov, as she was able to dive into all things Gotham City, how it expands upon what was set up in Matt Reeves's "The Batman," and more. Please listen to the interview below and be sure to check out the show, which is now available to...

Introducing Where We Go From Here from Offline with Jon Favreau. Follow the show: Offline with Jon Favreau Yeah, rough week. Jon and Max reckon with Tuesday’s result and break down how Donald Trump — once again — was able to grow his coalition. They dissect how Trump won despite his very online campaign, not because of it — and why that may be cause for hope. Then they share their own experience knocking doors in swing states, talk about the role misinformation and foreign interference played...

"Bird" had its world premiere at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, where it received positive reviews for Andrea Arnold's writing and direction and the performances from the cast in this fantastical coming-of-age story. Actors Nykiya Adams, Barry Keoghan, and Franz Rogowski were all kind enough to spend some time talking with us about their work on the film. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now playing in New York City and will expand next week to more theaters in Los Angeles,...

Introducing How Trump Built His Coalition from Pod Save America. Follow the show: Pod Save America The best way to understand what happened on Tuesday is to listen to what the actual voters have been saying. Dan checks back in with two strategists who run focus groups with key parts of the electorate: Sarah Longwell of The Bulwark, who's been talking to Trump-curious swing voters for months, and Carlos Odio of Equis Research, an expert on the Latino vote. Sarah and Carlos discuss some of the...

For Episode 416, Dan Bayer, Alyssa Christian, Tom O'Brien, and I are here this week to discuss how the results of the 2024 U.S. Presidential election may impact the Oscar race. We reveal the winners of last week's poll, asking, "Which Is Your Favorite Hugh Grant Performance?" and ask this week's poll question, "Which Netflix Film Awards Season Contender Has Been Your Favorite?" We also give our reactions to the trailers for "The End" & "Armand," answer your fan-submitted questions, and...

Introducing So we ARE going back from Lovett or Leave It. Follow the show: Lovett or Leave It This week, Lovett or Leave It takes a big sip of coffee and reads who won the 2024 presidential election. Donald Trump takes the White House, Republicans take the Senate, and RFK Jr. takes the fluoride out of our water the first moment he can. Lovett opens the floor to questions from his audience like, “What the hell?” and “Are you kidding me?" and we cycle through the five stages of being an...

For this week's main podcast review, I am joined by Josh Parham & Nadia Dalimonte to review and discuss the newest film from co-directors/writers Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, "Heretic" starring Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher & Chloe East. A psychological thriller on the nature of religion, control, and belief, the confined film has garnered positive reviews since its world premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. What did we think of it? Tune in as we discuss Hugh Grant's...

Introducing Succeeding Without Trying from How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality. Follow the show: How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality We spend a lot of time on How God Works talking about how spirituality can offer tools to become better versions of ourselves.  And while learning to be happier, healthier and more resilient are all positive things to strive for, they can also lead us down a different path - an obsession with productivity and self-optimization…...