Critical Darlings

Ey wanna leahn howta shuck an oystah? Jaya Saxena of the new, worker-owned food publication Ravenous, joins us to discuss Tony, the micro-biopic about a pipsqueak version of Anthony Bourdain learning to love food in Provincetown, Mass.  From director Matt Johnson of Nirvana The Band The Show The Movie, and Blackberry, comes a fictionalized take on Bourdain’s early years. The script loosely covers about a chapter and a half from Bourdain’s hallowed Kitchen Confidential: the book that helped turn him from a working chef into one of the most important food writers in America. Bourdain’s reputation precedes him, but Tony largely sidesteps the mythology by downsizing Tony into a wannabe writer in need of a good ass-kicking.  We discuss Bourdain, Kitchen Confidential, the allure of bad boys from greater Massachusetts, what exactly goes into a Lobster Thermidor, refillable ketchup bottles, and the movie’s depiction of drugs and suicide. Finally we get into our favorite food movies (Tampopo! Eat Drink Man Woman! Ratatouille!) and do our recommendations. Next week, watch for falling anvils, it’s Coyote Vs. Acme.  Email us! [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a technofascist parallel reality, singles are only allowed to have sex one night a year: it’s One Night Only, AKA The Sex Purge!  Comedian Josh Gondelman joins us to discuss this deeply strange film which has taken the box office by…not very much. Is that more evidence for the slow fade of theatrical rom coms, or is this just a really, really weird movie?   Directed by Will Gluck, and starring Callum Turner and Monica Barbaro, We’re split on the movie’s charms, but we’re mesmerized by the movie’s vision of fascism + rom-com shenanigans. We discuss the movie’s world building, blacklist scripts, Callum Turner lookalikes, it’s lack of comedian supporting characters, the state of the rom-com, and the movie’s both-sides-ing of its own high concept premise. Check out Josh’s newsletter That’s Marvelous, to get up to date tour info, and mail us at [email protected].  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Come for the Les Miz karaoke takes, stay for The Invite. New York Magazine’s Emily Gould joins us to discuss Olivia Wilde’s sexy, awkward comedy of domestic manners starring herself, Seth Rogan, Edward Norton, and Penelope Cruz. Set in an aspirational San Francisco apartment owned by a deeply neurotic twosome, they collide with the sexy couple upstairs at an impromptu dinner party staged by Wilde's character Angela. Their night, and the movie itself, swings from polite nicety to anger to sadness to horniness, ultimately arriving at a poignant question: what relationships are worth saving, and when is it time to just move on? Both as a director and performer, The Invite is destined to become a calling card for Wilde. Among many things, we discuss her unusual Hollywood trajectory, the studied aesthetics of aspirational apartment living, Esther Perel, firefighter aesthetics, dinner party etiquette, Les Miz, steak knives, woo woo treatements for back pain, and San Francisco real estate.   Next week, everyone has forgotten about him, except for us! It’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Send us mailbag questions, comments, and gossip: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You’re welcome…again! This week we’re scraping the bottom of the barrel of Disney’s “live-action” remakes, with Moana. As noted on last week’s episode, Producer Ben Frisch is out on a Minions-related leave of absence, so we’re joined by Producer Ben Hosley, to talk about this especially contrived-feeling cultural product. It used to be that Disney remakes were sure to break a billy at the box office, but that’s no longer the case, with only the recent Lilo and Stitch remake having any legs. Moana’s disappointing landing makes us wonder if the steam is truly run out of the remake machine. While the movie itself is a little flimsy, it affords us the opportunity to go deep on its most controversial performance and star, Dwayne “Mr. Rock” Johnson, as Maui. Like the remakes themselves, Johnson used to be an undeniable box office draw, but in recent years his films have also begun to disappoint. We do a career retrospective to try and puzzle out what, if anything, has gone wrong. Next week, we’re joining the boys on the boat, with The Odyssey. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we’re Gunn-ing for Supergirl, with filmmaker and video essayist Patrick Willems! Supergirl is the second feature film in the new DC cinematic universe, now helmed by Guardians of the Galaxy mastermind James Gunn. Gunn’s 2025 Superman breathed new life into one of the genre’s biggest icons, but Supergirl blew a raspberry at the box office, despite the good vibes surrounding the new DCU. Supergirl, directed by I, Tonya's Craig Gillespie, borrows liberally from Gunn’s style, but in imitating Gunn, it shows just how difficult it is to pull off his deft mix of humor, spectacle, and heart. Patrick walks us through the movie’s source material, the acclaimed comics miniseries Woman of Tomorrow, and how the film follows and diverges from that book’s True Grit-inspired journey, often to negative effect. We also get into Milly Alcock’s performance as Supergirl, the needle drops, Krypto and the Superhorse (!), and what this movie means for the future of the DCU. Next week, we’re all in on Minions (Babylon Version) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s Disclosure Week on Critical Darlings, with writer, podcaster, and E.T. super fan Starlee Kine! Almost five decades after Steven Spielberg reimagined aliens on screen with E.T. and Close Encounters, he’s delivered another story of extraterrestrial awe. The movie stars Emily Blunt and Josh O’Connor. But the figure who looms largest over Disclosure Day is Spielberg himself. We discuss our relationships to Spielberg’s work, how Disclosure Day fits into his slate of alien films, and how the movie worked on us. Like audiences and critics, we’re split. Despite some production quibbles (take off that sweater, Emily!), Spielberg remains a master of the camera. Still, the movie’s optimism for humanity feels behind the times: or, maybe we’re just jaded? Why not both? Other topics include ghosts vs. aliens, Spielberg’s longing for the monoculture, E.T. in the wig, and finally, we do a ranking of Spielberg’s alien films. Next week, we’re celebrating Pride with two flavors of gay film: the goofy Stop That Train, and the spooky Leviticus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we’re joined by the very liminal Ryan Broderick, proprietor of the great Garbage Day newsletter and host of the podcast Panic World, to discuss A24’s hit, Backrooms! Based on a 4-Chan thread, creepypasta, and web series, the movie has captured young filmgoers and its young director, Kane Parsons, has captured Hollywood’s attention. Compared to last week’s subject, Obsession, Backrooms is a much more ambitious blend of effects-driven horror: juggling mid-life ennui, childhood trauma, and corporate conspiracy against an endless fluorescent yellow backdrop. It turns out, men would rather go to the backrooms than engage with therapy. We discuss what works about Backrooms, what doesn’t, and continue our conversation about YouTube directors making the jump to Hollywood. Finally, we discuss the feel-good story of so many new films finding footing in the industry, and what might be next for Parsons and other YouTube crossovers. Next week, we’re getting shirtless and toyetic, with The Masters of the Universe! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Coucou les cheris! As Cannes is underway on the Riviera, we take a break from our usual movie-of-the-week format to look back at the year so far, and look forward to this summer. We count down our top 5 favorite movies of the year (that haven’t been covered on the show), including big studio movies and European arthouse fare. We’ll also take a temperature check on the summer blockbuster slate, from The Mandalorian & Grogu, Disclosure Day, Spider-Man, The Odyssey, and more. Finally, we’ll hear a transmission from Alison and Richard, live from Cannes, to discuss the festival so far. Your wish has been granted! Next week, we’re talking about Obsession, from director Curry Barker and Blumhouse. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Description: “…You think that you've made a choice that exempts you from the podcast industry when, in fact, you're listening to a podcast that was selected for you by the people in the room…and Who? Weekly!” This week on the show, we’re joined by the hosts of ⁠Who? Weekly⁠, Lindsey Webber and Bobby Finger, to discuss The Devil Wears Prada 2, starring a list of all-star Thems: Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci. 20 years on, much has changed in the worlds of Miranda Priestly and Andy Sachs; amidst the cratering value of traditional media, Miranda and Andy reconnect to save Runway Magazine from bad billionaires. Despite its depressing subject matter, the movie is still breezy, funny, and surprisingly well observed. As veterans in the NYC media wars, we get into our histories with the original, recount our encounters with billionaire magazine owners, do a Meryl performance review, discuss the film’s elegy for tastemakers like Anna Wintour, and why we all still want (and need) publications like Vogue and Runway. Next week we’re talking about sheep and cozy mysteries with The Sheep Detectives! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we’re holding a seance in a Dress Barn™ with Mother Mary! Directed by David Lowery and starring Anne Hathaway and Michaela Cole, this two-hander sees a pop singer and her former designer revisiting the rift that severed their early creative partnership, with spooky results. The film goes wide on April 24th, so with extra spoiler guard rails, we’ll discuss the film, its heightened language, and the unusually depicted supernatural elements. We’ll also discuss Lowery’s filmography, contemporary Hathaway, and Michaela Cole’s trajectory. Finally, we’ll discuss fictional pop singers on screen. From Vox Lux to Spice World, A Star is Born, and Kpop Demon Hunters, why are they so tricky to depict? Next week, we will be discussing a film about a literal angel named Michael. Not the Nora Ephron film, unfortunately. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, it's The Mario Galaxy Movie! The second film in the Nintendo/Illumination franchise is already a global hit despite less than stellar reviews. It is nevertheless a fascinating film: an amalgam of stunning animation and music, full of hyperactive action, with little interest in the typical conventions of narrative storytelling, and like, plot. On this episode Alison and Richard, along with producer Benjamin Frisch, discuss the film, its beauty and weirdness, offer a sidebar on Shigeru Miyamoto as-artist, and delve into the history of video game adaptations. We discuss producer Ben’s longstanding trauma related to the 1993 Super Mario Bros. adaptation, and the evolution of video game films from the schlocky but individual adaptations of the past to the more controlled franchise model of today. Finally, we expose Dr. Mario for his quackery, scold the Mario babies, and recommend some further viewing and listening. Next week, we will be revealing the worst things we’ve ever done, over dinner, with The Drama. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Beam me up…Rocky!? Critical Darlings is back, from outer space, in our new feed, talking about the first blockbuster of the year. Project Hail Mary, directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller for Amazon, is a family-friendly science fiction film about Ryan Gosling on a risky space mission with a cute alien pal. The movie is a critical and commercial success and feels livelier than so many would-be blockbusters. But what is it about Hail Mary that works where last year’s Gosling-led The Fall Guy failed? Is this the return of the ’80s-era cute puppet friend movie? Is Gosling the hottest middle school teacher ever? Alison and Richard also get into the film itself, with sidebars on Gosling and Lord and Miller’s filmographies, and dig into Amazon’s upcoming film slate, James Bond, and whether the studio could become a significant player in a post-Paramount-merger landscape. Finally, we check in on the vibes around The Mandalorian and Grogu and Alison’s newest crush, Rotta the Hutt. Read and subscribe to Richard's newsletter at Premiere Party, and read Alison at Vulture. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Critical Darlings, where critics Richard Lawson and Alison Willmore cover the latest film driving the conversation—from big summer blockbusters to festival favorites, buzzy streamers, and major awards contenders. New episodes every Thursday. Produced by Benjamin Frisch Subscribe to Richard's newsletter, ⁠⁠Premiere Party,⁠⁠ and read Alison's work ⁠⁠at Vulture.⁠⁠ Follow @blankcheckpod on ⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices