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As the year winds down and the calendar flips over, we’re ringing in the New Year with a special bonus episode dedicated to one of our favorite—and most elusive—writers: Thomas Pynchon. In this New Year’s Eve edition of Ticket Stubs, we gather to talk about what Pynchon’s work has meant to us over the years, why his voice remains so singular in modern literature, and how his obsessions with paranoia, the past, and slapstick continue to resonate. From there, we dive into One Battle After Another, the recent adaptation of Vineland from director Paul Thomas Anderson, another favorite of ours. Then, we share our thoughts on Pynchon’s long-awaited new novel, Shadow Ticket, before closing things out by putting our cards on the table with our own personal rankings of his novels. Whether you’re a longtime Pynchon devotee, a curious newcomer, or just looking to close out the year with a little chaos and conspiratorial joy, we hope you’ll spend what's left of 2025, or perhaps even the earliest part of 2026...or actually anytime in the foreseeable (or not?) future...with us. Any and all digressions are welcome when it comes to discussing this artist and his work. And believe me, we take digressions aplenty! As always, please like, subscribe, rate, and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever else you listen. Got thoughts or questions? Email us at [email protected].

It’s that time of year again—when we gather by the fire, sip something warm, and queue up… movies that *technically* take place at Christmas. This week, we’re unwrapping two not-quite-but-definitely-set-during-the-holidays classics: Stanley Kubrick’s eerie yuletide odyssey Eyes Wide Shut (1999) and Steven Spielberg’s breezy cat-and-mouse charmer Catch Me If You Can (2002). While neither film is exactly “festive,” both use the holiday season to cast their stories in a glow equal parts melancholic and mischievous. Before diving into our gift-wrap-adjacent double feature, our Blue Plate Special is packed with plenty of cinematic goodies waiting under the tree. We break down the eyebrow-raising possibility of Warner Bros. being sold to either Netflix or Paramount/Skydance—and what such a shake-up could mean for the future of the film industry. We also share our thoughts on several recent releases we’ve caught (Sentimental Value, The History of Sound, Jay Kelly, and Pavements), react to Quentin Tarantino’s recent comments about Paul Dano and 21st-century cinema, relive our theatrical experience seeing Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair, and pay tribute to the recent losses of Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Jim Ward, Jeff Garcia, Peter Greene, and the legendary Rob Reiner. As always, please like, subscribe, rate, and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever else you listen! Got thoughts or questions? Email us at [email protected].

New name, same show! Overlapping Dialogue is now Ticket Stubs—your go-to stop for double features, deep dives, and all things cinema. This week, we’re celebrating Noirvember in style with a pairing that bridges the past and present of the crime genre: John Boorman’s cold-blooded, acid-tinged revenge saga Point Blank (1967) and Steve McQueen’s taut, politically charged heist thriller Widows (2018). Listen as we dissect their hardboiled aesthetics, fractured moral codes, and the surprisingly emotional depths lurking beneath their genre trappings. But first, on this week’s Blue Plate Special, we take a moment to review the brand-new reimagining of The Running Man and share a rundown of upcoming fall releases we're most excited to catch—just in time for awards season. To all our listeners: we’re thankful for your continued support and wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving! As always, please like, subscribe, rate, and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever else you listen! Got thoughts or questions? Email us at [email protected].

After a year-long hiatus, Overlapping Dialogue is officially back—ringing in the triple digits with our 101st episode! We ease back into the swing of things with a double feature that pits small-town rage against cosmic emotional reckoning: Martin McDonagh’s bruising Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) and Ari Aster’s latest descent into existential dread, the enigmatic and horrific satire of modern life, Eddington (2025). But first, our Blue Plate Special returns with a fresh batch of chatter on the latest film news and releases: we unpack the teaser trailer for Michael, the upcoming Michael Jackson biopic; lament the canceled Ben Solo Star Wars project that might’ve been directed by Steven Soderbergh; and offer capsule reviews of recent releases Roofman, Blue Moon, Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere, and Bugonia. Whether you’ve been with us from the beginning or just now found your way back into the booth, we’re thrilled to be talking movies with you once again. As always, please like, subscribe, rate, and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever else you listen! Got thoughts or questions? Email us at [email protected]

On the eve of yet another Academy Awards ceremony, the team here at Overlapping Dialogue is officially closing the book on 2024 with an affectionate look back at the highs, lows, and, above all else, the most memorable moments of the past year in cinema with our second annual Harry Dean Awards! Listen as we break down the defining "Cracker Barrel" performance of the past twelve months, roll our eyes- semi-affectionately, for what it's worth- at the latest work from Robert Zemeckis, decide on the year's best use of Willem Dafoe, crown our Comeback Player of the Year, and celebrate a host of other categories and distinctions, culminating in our picks for Filmmaker(s) and Film of the Year. Who needs the Oscars when you have the only film awards that truly matter? As always, please like, subscribe, rate, and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever else you listen! Got thoughts or questions? Email us at [email protected]. https://thebigwblog.wordpress.com/2025/01/25/visions-the-brutalist-is-an-unwieldy-epic-no-actually-it-really-is/

To mark the monumental occasion of our (can you believe it???) 100th episode, we turn the Bat-Signal toward one of the most iconic figures in all of pop culture—Batman. In true caped crusader fashion, we’re combining the best of what our podcast has offered with a one-time-only double feature commentary of two films that capture the darkness, complexity, and heroic resolve of Gotham’s protector: Tim Burton’s Batman (1989) and the animated classic Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993). These films hold a special place in our hearts, making this deep dive into the world of the Dark Knight a personal indulgence as we celebrate this milestone. But this episode also marks a turning point for us. While it’s not goodbye, it’s more like an ellipsis—a break before we return with something new and exciting. Stick around until the end for a very important announcement about an entirely new podcast project on the horizon. We can’t wait to see you there! As always, please like, subscribe, rate, and review us on all of our channels, which include Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube! Contact us at [email protected] with your questions, comments, and requests.

Get ready for a whirlwind of emotions as we dive deep into Paul Thomas Anderson’s 1999 San Fernando Valley epic Magnolia with a full audio commentary! Join us as we explore the interconnected lives, chance encounters, and fateful events that shape this self-consciously indulgent narrative. But before we loose ourselves to frogs and familial strife, we kick off the episode with our Blue Plate Special segment, stirring up the latest updates on the ongoing Joaquin Phoenix and Todd Haynes drama- the story that *won't* go away- and dishing out our thoughts on the newly released Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. After revisiting the dark humor of Tim Burton’s world, we turn our attention to Anderson’s own symphony of chaos and emotion, breaking down how Magnolia blends melodrama and fate into one unforgettable cinematic experience. In addition to digging into Anderson’s masterpiece, this is a milestone for us—our 99th episode! Stick around until the end for a special announcement about our exciting plans for the big Episode 100 celebration. Feel free to skip to 1:58:12 for the beginning of our audio commentary. As always, please like, subscribe, rate, and review us on all of our channels, which include Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube! Contact us at [email protected] with your questions, comments, and requests. https://thebigwblog.wordpress.com/2024/09/10/someone-left-the-cake-out-in-the-rain-the-comeback-story-of-beetlejuice-beetlejuice/

Prepare your palate as we serve up a delectable two-courser, diving fork-first into the sumptuous delights of Juzo Itami’s Tampopo and Michael Winterbottom’s The Trip, two films that explore the art of food and the joy of eating in very different yet equally savory ways. But before we get to the main course, we’re sampling a few appetizers with our Blue Plate Special: we stir the pot with the latest update on the Joaquin Phoenix and Todd Haynes behind-the-scenes drama, review new releases Alien: Romulus and Blink Twice, and offer a heartfelt toast in memory of screen legend Gena Rowlands. Finally, we load up our plate and then some with our double feature, exploring how Tampopo’s ramen western blends humor with heart, and how The Trip serves up sharp wit alongside mouth-watering culinary-adjacent tours. Bon appétit! As always, please like, subscribe, rate, and review us on all of our channels, which include Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube! Contact us at [email protected] with your questions, comments, and requests.

Join us on a journey through the synthetic dreamscape of artificial intelligence, where we delve into how robots not just mimic life but seek to understand the human heart with our double feature: Bicentennial Man and A.I. Artificial Intelligence. Before exploring these narratives of manufactured souls and their quests for earned humanity, we’re munching on a jar of digital cookies with our Blue Plate Special, chatting about Joaquin Phoenix's surprising departure from what sounded like a promising Todd Haynes project, reviewing new releases Trap and Cuckoo, and dissecting the trailer for the upcoming fall release Saturday Night. After logging out of these side discussions, we finally access the core of our episode, diving into Chris Columbus's messy yet heartwarming narrative alongside Spielberg's ethereal realization of a science fiction epic originally drafted by the late great Stanley Kubrick. As always, please like, subscribe, rate, and review us on all of our channels, which include Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube! Contact us at [email protected] with your questions, comments, and requests.

When the night's quiet and you don't care anymore, come on in and stay awhile with a double feature dedicated to antiheroes looking to settle scores and perhaps stoically save their cities: Streets of Fire and The Crow. But before we get there, we work our way through a Blue Plate Special playlist of topics that has us questioning what exactly the collision between Michael Bay and Skibidi Toilet threaten to inflict upon audiences and talk about two new releases, Longlegs and Twisters. Upon finally arriving to our double feature, we find a lot to love in both films' excellent yet divergent exercises in style: listen as we discuss how Walter Hill's 1984 rock and roll fable fits into his larger cinematic oeuvre while celebrating and memorializing the late great star turn of Brandon Lee in Alex Proyas's 1994 gothic epic. As always, please like, subscribe, rate, and review us on all of our channels, which include Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube! Contact us at [email protected] with your questions, comments, and requests.

Tinseltown beckons as we delight in two modern classics poised to define for audiences the breadth of America's cinematic history: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Babylon. But before we pontificate on these recent epics, we enjoy a light Blue Plate Special sampling discussing new releases Kinds of Kindness, Horizon: An American Saga- Chapter 1, and MaXXXine, as well as paying tribute to the late screen legend Shelley Duvall. We eventually shuffle in to see the two splashy films located atop our glittering marquee: listen as we situate Quentin Tarantino's look at TV cowboys squaring off against hippies in 1969 Hollywood towards the top of his filmography, puzzle over where Damien Chazelle's boozy Jazz Age saga leaves him at this stage of his still young career, and generally revel in both films' literal and figurative rages against the dying of the light. As always, please like, subscribe, rate, and review us on all of our channels, which include Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube! Contact us at [email protected] with your questions, comments, and requests. https://thebigwblog.wordpress.com/2024/06/28/isnt-it-wonderful-kinds-of-kindness-the-wide-release-miracle/ https://thebigwblog.wordpress.com/2024/07/03/the-last-great-open-spaces-applying-the-fat-in-horizon-an-american-saga-chapter-1/ https://thebigwblog.wordpress.com/2024/07/07/a-lost-ball-in-tall-weeds-some-thoughts-on-ti-wests-x-pearl-and-maxxxine/

If you're looking for a bigger podcast, you came to the right place. This Independence Day, Overlapping Dialogue commemorates with a special bonus audio commentary episode celebrating one of not only America's greatest contributions to cinema but one that will undoubtedly rank among the medium's finest works: Jaws! Join us as we dive into Steven Spielberg's seminal 1975 classic, which set in motion both a masterful directorial career and a re-conception of how popular movies themselves function with the emergence of the modern blockbuster. Feel free to skip to 1:20:25 for the beginning of our audio commentary. As always, please like, subscribe, rate, and review us on all of our channels, which include Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube! Contact us at [email protected] with your questions, comments, and requests.

In this episode of Overlapping Dialogue, we take a look at two well-crafted antiques of cinematic yesteryear, one being a genuine article of the past and another as a vibrant reinvention of a dead artform, with 1939's The Four Feathers and 2015's The Forbidden Room. But before we dig into our double feature, we recognize there's no time like the present to indulge in a Blue Plate Special slate that celebrates the life and legacy of Donald Sutherland, speculates on what exactly the prospects of the "experiential attractions" Netflix House intends to offer, catches up on X and Pearl ahead of the trilogy-capping MaXXXine's release, warms up the half-baked yet edible tastes of Unfrosted, and takes comfort in the subtle pleasures of the newly released The Bikeriders. After ascending to hog heaven, we delight in our retro double feature: listen as we place Zoltan Korda's film into the larger canon of British adventure stories and marvel at Guy Maddin and Evan Johnson's truly transformational experiment in the lost craft, beauty, and perversity of silent cinema. As always, please like, subscribe, rate, and review us on all of our channels, which include Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube! Contact us at [email protected] with your questions, comments, and requests. https://thebigwblog.wordpress.com/2024/06/22/talkin-bout-my-generation-the-bikeriders-is-passing-through-your-town/

In this episode of Overlapping Dialogue, we eagerly head full speed into the danger zone with two thrilling disaster pictures intent on traumatizing their characters and relentlessly entertaining their audiences: Black Sunday and Twister! But before we masochistically chase storms of both the physical and emotional variety, we stock up on a Blue Plate Special selection focusing on some new releases (In a Violent Nature) and filmmakers (Jane Schoenbrun, director of We're All Going to the World's Fair and I Saw the TV Glow) that hopefully suggest that maybe the spirit of cinema isn't dead after all. Eventually, we abandon all decorum and good sense by embracing the chaos of our double feature: join us as we delight in the unabashed 70s-ness of John Frankenheimer's B-movie epic (we also take the opportunity to induct not one but *two* members into our Hall of Fame, the Immune) and celebrate Jan de Bont's fabulous piece of 90s nonsense, filled with more of its era's character actors than any act of nature could every whisk away. As always, please like, subscribe, rate, and review us on all of our channels, which include Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube! Contact us at [email protected] with your questions, comments, and requests. https://thebigwblog.wordpress.com/2024/06/05/chapters-skipped-over-on-a-dvd-i-saw-the-tv-glow-review/

In this episode of Overlapping Dialogue, we dive into the overwhelming abyss of past, present, and future techno sci-fi horror with THX 1138 and Possessor. Listen as we assess the ability, or lack thereof, to judge George Lucas's brilliant 1971 debut feature on its own terms and the also weighty pedigree inherent to any discussion of Brandon Cronenberg's 2020 messy assassin thriller. As always, please like, subscribe, rate, and review us on all of our channels, which include Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube! Contact us at [email protected] with your questions, comments, and requests.