Film Is Lit Podcast

08/19/2025

We'd say "May the odds be ever in your favor," but no odds are in Katniss's favor in "Mockingjay!" Join the hosts of Film Is Lit and previous guest, Kayla Phaneuf (), as we discuss the ups and downs of Suzanne Collins' last installment in the original Hunger Games trilogy. Don't kid yourself, it's a downer!

Find it on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/film-is-lit/id1516366606?i=1000722648026

Is Lit Podcast

08/18/2025

Coming VERY soon to the Film is Lit podcast… returning guest and Hunger Games expert Kayla Phaneuf () joins us to talk about Mockingjay: Part One - a.k.a. the one where close to nothing happens!

May the odds be ever in your earbuds. 🎙️🔥

07/29/2025

This just in - Film Is Lit isn’t just analyzing this week. We go DIRECTLY to the source! In a podcast first, we are pleased to host “Sideways” author himself, Rex Pickett! Join us for a relaxed conversation about California wine country, the development of his 2004 book, and its continuing legacy.
It was such an honor to have Rex on the show. Be sure to check out his “Sideways” sequels and other works on his website: rexpickettbooks.com - a true treasure trove for fans of the book, the film, and all things wine-soaked and story-driven.

Find it on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/film-is-lit/id1516366606?i=1000719625120

07/24/2025

Fake it till you make it…or murder your way there. This week on Film Is Lit, we dive deep into "The Talented Mr. Ripley," a sun-drenched psychological thriller soaked in envy, identity, and deception. Written by Patricia Highsmith and adapted for the screen with elegance and dread by Anthony Minghella, the film features standout performances from a stacked cast. We also pay tribute to one of our all-time favorites, Philip Seymour Hoffman, who steals every scene he’s in as the effortlessly snarky Freddie Miles.

Find it on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/film-is-lit/id1516366606?i=1000718841798

07/15/2025

We’re back - and we’re getting existential! In the premiere of Film Is Lit Season 15, we tackle one of Stephen King’s most surprising and emotionally rich stories, "The Life of Chuck." Part horror, part character study, part metaphysical mind-bender, this three-act novella flips King’s usual script and leaves us questioning what it really means to live a full life. We dig into King’s bold structure, Mark Hamill talking about math, and the beauty that may lay at the end of the world.

New season. New adaptations. Same (thrilling) podcast. What a time to be alive!

Find it on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/film-is-lit/id1516366606?i=1000717364245

06/18/2025

For our Connections Series finale, we close out with a powerful, resonant adaptation of August Wilson’s "Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom" (2020) directed by George C. Wolfe and adapted for the screen by Ruben Santiago-Hudson. This tense, intimate drama set in a 1927 Chicago recording studio explores exploitation, racism, and the self-hate that racism breeds - all anchored by powerful performances from Viola Davis and the late Chadwick Boseman. Does this play translate well to the big screen? Listen to find out!

And thanks for joining us this season - Film Is Lit will be back later this summer with Season 16 - our most thrilling season yet! Surprises are on the horizon 😉

Find it on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/film-is-lit/id1516366606?i=1000713428180

05/22/2025

This week, we’re diving into the Twitter thread that shook the internet and somehow became an A24 film - yes, "Zola" is on the menu! We’re talking Taylour Paige, Riley Keough, Colman Domingo, and Nicholas Braun bringing the most chaotic road trip ever to life, but does the movie capture the thread’s unhinged brilliance? Expect dramatic readings, plot twists, and a lot of “what the helly” energy.

Find it on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/film-is-lit/id1516366606?i=1000709453646

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05/14/2025

On this episode of Film Is Lit, we sink our claws into the 2023 thriller/ horror/ dark comedy "Cat Person," based on Kristen Roupenian’s viral 2017 The New Yorker short story. Starring the singing sensation from "CODA" (Emilia Jones) and everyone’s favorite awkward giant from "Succession" (Nicholas Braun), "Cat Person" explores the murky gray areas of dating, power dynamics, and the stories we tell ourselves when red flags come waving. We break down whether this adaptation carries the same biting, uncanny commentary as the original story - or whether it stretches itself too thin by going full feature when maybe, just maybe, a short film would’ve sufficed. Is it a sharp look at modern dating, or just another mis-cat-culation (I'm sorry)?

Find it on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/film-is-lit/id1516366606?i=1000708450389

# bookvmovie

05/09/2025

05/07/2025

We recorded this episode back in January, but divine timing has blessed us: we’re releasing it the exact same week a real-life conclave is beginning! Coincidence? Or the hand of God? Either way, it’s the perfect time to dive into "Conclave" - Edward Berger’s 2024 cinematic banger based on the holy grail of papal thrillers by Robert Harris. Join us as we enter the sacred halls of secrecy, political maneuvering, and cassock-clad drama. Is the real-life conclave destined to be as sinfully juicy as the fictional one? We certainly hope so!

Find it on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/film-is-lit/id1516366606?i=1000706668794

04/30/2025

The Film Is Lit Podcast apparates back into the Wizarding World for our most epic episode yet! Fittingly, we’re tackling the longest book in the series, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," in what also happens to be our longest episode ever. This episode’s so packed, even Hermione would need a Time-Turner to get through it twice! Joining us is our good friend and certified Potterhead, Dan Porush, as we dive deep into the divisive fifth entry. How does this 896-page BEHEMOTH stack up against one of the shortest films in the franchise? Grab your wand (or your headphones) and tune in to find out.

Find it on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/film-is-lit/id1516366606?i=1000705544547

04/15/2025

What do you get when you mash up Groundhog Day, Starship Troopers, and Mission: Impossible? A sci-fi action banger, that’s what! This week, frequent guests Tim Ga***rd and Ryan Burns are back to break down Edge of Tomorrow (2014), the high-octane Tom Cruise flick based on Hiroshi Sakurazaka’s mind-bending light novel All You Need Is Kill (seriously, what a title). How does the film stack up against the book? And is either one so good we’d gladly relive it again and again? Hit play and find out.

Find it on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/film-is-lit/id1516366606?i=1000703614191

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