Unspooled (podcast)
| Unspooled | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Presentation | |
| Hosted by | Amy Nicholson Paul Scheer |
| Genre | Film History |
| Format | Podcast (via streaming or downloadable MP3) |
| Language | English |
| Length | 1–2 hours |
| Production | |
| Theme music composed by | Mike Cassady |
| Publication | |
| Original release | May 17, 2018 |
| Provider | Earwolf |
| Related | |
| Website | www |
Unspooled is a film podcast on the Earwolf network. It is hosted by film critic Amy Nicholson and actor/comedian Paul Scheer.[1] Initially, the podcast covered the American Film Institute (AFI) Top 100 films.[2] Later episodes of the podcast have covered other classic movies, with the ultimate goal of creating a list of the 100 best movies of all time.
Format[edit]
Each episode of Unspooled covers a single film and analyzes its artistic, thematic, and historical significance.[3] Episodes begin with facts about the year the film was released and a summary of the cast and plot. As the hosts debate what works and what doesn't about each movie, they include audio excerpts from the film to illustrate their points, plus supplemental clips such as interviews with the director and cast. Scheer has described the podcast as a "book club where we are watching movies once a week."[4]
Episodes wrap up with a negative review of the film from the time it was released. In Season 1, the show included clips of The Simpson's parodies of the film, if available, to demonstrate the film's continued cultural relevance. In Season 2, the show includes a clip of the top song on the Billboard charts the week of the film's release to examine the film's connection to the zeitgeist.[citation needed]
Reception[edit]
Unspooled debuted at number 1 on iTunes Film & TV podcast rankings and number 4 on the iTunes overall top chart.[5][6]
The podcast has garnered many positive reviews in the popular press. Esquire called it one of the best podcasts of 2019.[7] Rolling Stone wrote that the show was "wildly entertaining" and ranked the show as one of the best podcasts of 2020.[8] Town & Country Magazine lauded it as a "sharp, funny series…[with] charming chemistry," and Vanity Fair noted that the show's "fresh and intriguing takes on venerable movies make for entertaining listening."[9][10] Vulture called it "funny and accessible."[11] Another article in Vulture noted that "Unspooled is definitely among the best of [the good-film appreciation podcasts]."[12] The AV Club described it as "both serious and silly," and The Hollywood Reporter listed the show as an essential film history podcast.[13][14] IndieWire said that the podcast "provides an interesting context for what does or doesn't remain timeless in the movie world."[15] Discover Pods referred to the show as "slightly more highbrow" than Scheer's companion podcast, How Did This Get Made?,[16] while Emily VanDerWerff in Vox complemented its "entertaining segments … [while being] dedicated to placing these movies in their proper historical context."[17]
Other critics have noted that the podcast is as an "absolute joy ... Scheer and Nicholson usually treat even the movies they don't care for with a measure of respect."[18]
The podcast has been recognized for its willingness to take a critical eye to respected classics. One review commented that the show "fuels discussions of whether these movies are truly brilliant, or simply just respected because no one has ever questioned them."[19] Another stated more directly, "Amy and Paul are not afraid to make the point: Do you really need so many movies about Vietnam?"[20]
Episodes[edit]
Season 1, the AFI list[edit]
The show began by going through each of the 2007 AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies beginning with Citizen Kane.[1][21] For the first half of season 1, films were chosen by a random roll of a polyhedral die. At the end of the season, the hosts eliminated 60 films from the AFI list. Many were eliminated because of repeated directors or genres, particularly war films and Westerns. Other films were rejected because the director is believed to have made a better film that should fill the slot instead, such as replacing William Friedkin's The French Connection with The Exorcist. The trimmed list was published as the API List, an acronym of the hosts' names Amy and Paul.[22]
Season 2 and beyond[edit]
Following seasons of Unspooled have grouped films into thematic miniseries. Movies are chosen by the hosts and listeners with the goal of expanding the initial list to represent a more diverse, multi-faceted overview of cinema.[23]
Specials, mini-episodes and live episodes[edit]
Unspooled has produced annual episodes covering each year's Oscars and year-in-review series about the best films of that year. Other special episodes include live shows taped at film festivals and at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema.
Unspooled also has an ongoing series of mini-episodes called Top 3. On Top 3, a guest is interviewed about the three movies they would add to the top 100 list.
List[edit]
Unspooled episodes
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The API List[edit]
 | This section needs additional citations for verification. (July 2022) |
At the conclusion of Season 1, the hosts eliminated 60 movies from the AFI list and kept 40, publishing these selections as the core of their own "API" list (the "Amy and Paul Institute"), with the goal of again expanding the new list to 100 films, this time with an eye to gathering a more diverse representation of film creators and subjects than the AFI list offers. In the following seasons, additional films have been viewed and discussed, and added to the list. The hosts maintain that the collection, when complete, will be "shot into space" so that humanity's artistic endeavors can be shared with alien civilizations.
The API list currently includes 76 films and 2 tentative additions; 40 of which were retained from the AFI list in the final episode of Season 1, 18 of which were added in the final episode of Season 2, 13 of which were added in the final episode of Season 3, replacing 3 previously added films, 2 of which were added in the Listener's Choice episode mid-season 4, replacing 1 previously added film, and 7 of which were added in the final episode of Season 4.
Notably, the hosts have attempted to include no more than one film by any particular director, but due to the variety and quality of their work three directors are currently featured twice: Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, and Billy Wilder.
The API List[edit]
| Position | Title | Season Added | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Citizen Kane | 1 | |
| 2 | The Wizard of Oz | 1 | |
| 3 | Casablanca | 1 | |
| 4 | Modern Times | 1 | |
| 5 | 2001: A Space Odyssey | 1 | |
| 6 | Singin' in the Rain | 1 | |
| 7 | Do the Right Thing | 1 | |
| 8 | The Godfather | 1 | Included as a trilogy |
| 9 | Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans | 1 | |
| 10 | All About Eve | 1 | |
| 11 | It's a Wonderful Life | 1 | |
| 12 | Lawrence of Arabia | 1 | |
| 13 | The Apartment | 1 | |
| 14 | Taxi Driver | 1 | |
| 15 | Rear Window | 1 | |
| 16 | Titanic | 1 | |
| 17 | The Treasure of the Sierra Madre | 1 | |
| 18 | Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? | 1 | |
| 19 | Duck Soup | 1 | |
| 20 | Pulp Fiction | 1 | |
| 21 | E.T. The Extra Terrestrial | 1 | May be replaced pending review of additional Steven Spielberg films |
| 22 | 12 Angry Men | 1 | |
| 23 | Star Wars | 1 | Included as a trilogy |
| 24 | Annie Hall | 1 | |
| 25 | The Best Years of Our Lives | 1 | |
| 26 | Sullivan's Travels | 1 | |
| 27 | The Silence of the Lambs | 1 | |
| 28 | A Streetcar Named Desire | 1 | |
| 29 | Bonnie and Clyde | 1 | |
| 30 | Cabaret | 1 | |
| 31 | King Kong | 1 | |
| 32 | The Last Picture Show | 1 | |
| 33 | Intolerance | 1 | |
| 34 | Dr. Strangelove | 1 | May be replaced pending review of additional Stanley Kubrick films |
| 35 | Vertigo | 1 | May be replaced pending review of additional Alfred Hitchcock films |
| 36 | The Lord of the Rings | 1 | Included as a trilogy |
| 37 | Double Indemnity | 1 | May be replaced pending review of additional Film Noir films |
| 38 | Nashville | 1 | May be replaced pending review of additional Robert Altman films |
| 39 | To Kill a Mockingbird | 1 | |
| 40 | The General | 1 | Possibly replaced by the Jackass Films in Season 3 Finale, with a plan to watch more Buster Keaton and stunt-heavy films |
| Back to the Future | 2 | Replaced by Who Framed Roger Rabbit in Episode 296, Listener's Choice Winner Revealed | |
| 41 | Night of the Living Dead | 2 | |
| 42 | The Princess Bride | 2 | |
| 43 | Fast Times at Ridgemont High | 2 | |
| 44 | Mad Max: Fury Road | 2 | |
| 45 | Tokyo Story | 2 | |
| 46 | Hoop Dreams | 2 | Pending a discussion of whether documentaries belong on the list |
| 47 | A League of Their Own | 2 | |
| 48 | Bridesmaids | 2 | |
| 49 | A Trip to the Moon | 2 | |
| 50 | Groundhog Day | 2 | |
| 51 | Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind | 2 | |
| 52 | Ganja and Hess | 2 | |
| Raising Arizona | 2 | Replaced by Fargo in Season 3 Finale | |
| The Royal Tenenbaums | 2 | Replaced by The Grand Budapest Hotel in Season 3 Finale | |
| Inception | 2 | Replaced by The Dark Knight in Season 3 Finale | |
| 53 | The Thing | 2 | May be replaced pending review of additional John Carpenter films |
| 54 | The 400 Blows | 2 | |
| 55 | The Matrix | 3 | |
| 56 | The Night of the Hunter | 3 | |
| 57 | Boogie Nights | 3 | May be replaced pending review of additional Paul Thomas Anderson films |
| 58 | The Dark Knight | 3 | Replaced Inception as a Christopher Nolan film on the API List |
| 59 | The Grand Budapest Hotel | 3 | Replaced The Royal Tenenbaums as a Wes Anderson film on the API List |
| 60 | Grease | 3 | May be replaced pending review of additional Musical films |
| 61 | RoboCop | 3 | Listener-voted for a Paul Verhoeven film on the API List, over Starship Troopers |
| 62 | Monty Python and the Holy Grail | 3 | May be replaced pending review of Monty Python's Life of Brian |
| 63 | The Texas Chain Saw Massacre | 3 | Listener-voted for a Horror film on the API List, over The Blair Witch Project |
| 64 | The Jackass Films | 3 | Included as a tetralogy |
| 65 | The Piano | 3 | |
| 66 | Fargo | 3 | Replaced Raising Arizona as a Coen Brothers film on the API List |
| 67 | Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse | 3 | May be replaced pending review of additional Animated, Superhero, and Spider-Man films |
| 68 | Who Framed Roger Rabbit | 4 | Replaced Back to the Future as a Robert Zemeckis film on the API List |
| 69 | Children of Men | 4 | |
| 70 | Die Hard | 4 | |
| 71 | Election | 4 | |
| 72 | Blazing Saddles or Young Frankenstein | 4 | Listener's Choice vote TBD for a Mel Brooks film on the API List |
| 73 | Edward Scissorhands or Pee-wee's Big Adventure | 4 | Listener's Choice vote TBD for a Tim Burton film on the API List |
| 74 | Blue Velvet | 4 | May be replaced pending review of additional David Lynch films |
| 75 | The Karate Kid | 4 | Unspooled crew talked about Karate Kid replacing Rocky, but Rocky was eliminated in Season 1 |
| 76 | Thelma and Louise | 4 | |
| * | RRR | 3 | Tentative, too new and might remove once RRR fever dies down |
| * | Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles | 4 | Tentative, might remove once Jeanne Dielman fever dies down from 2022 Sight and Sound poll |
Spinoffs[edit]
Screen Test[edit]
Screen Test is an Unspooled film-themed game show hosted by Paul Scheer and Amy Nicholson. Contestants are tested on their "wits, bravado, and collaboration—the three necessities if you want to make it in Hollywood". The show launched in October 2020 on Stitcher, with some episodes airing live on Paul Scheer's Twitch Channel, FriendZone.[24]
Spool Party[edit]
Spool Party is a live stream that focuses on fan favorite films with special guests. Episodes premiere live on YouTube. Shows have featured the films Big, Clue, and Clueless. One episode featured a House Party reunion with director Reginald Hudlin and Christopher "Play" Reid.[citation needed]
References[edit]
- ^ a b GmbH, finanzen net. "Comedians Paul Scheer and Michael Ian Black launch new podcasts with Midroll Media". markets.businessinsider.com. Archived from the original on October 17, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- ^ "Paul Scheer On Iconic Movies, Podcasting, And The New Season Of 'Black Monday'". UPROXX. March 13, 2020. Archived from the original on October 17, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- ^ "My 5: Paul Scheer Reveals the Surprisingly Good Movies You've Probably Missed (Exclusive) | Entertainment Tonight". www.etonline.com. May 17, 2018. Archived from the original on October 17, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- ^ "The Good, the Bad and the Godawful: Paul Scheer Takes on the Movies (in Podcast Form)". KQED. September 12, 2019. Archived from the original on October 17, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- ^ "Unspooled Podcast – Listen, Reviews, Charts". chartable.com. Archived from the original on October 17, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- ^ "Amy Nicholson". Twitter. Archived from the original on October 17, 2021. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
- ^ "The Best Podcasts of 2019 (So Far)". Esquire. November 7, 2019. Archived from the original on October 17, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- ^ Ehrlich, Andrea Marks, Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Brenna; Marks, Andrea; Garber-Paul, Elisabeth; Ehrlich, Brenna (December 18, 2020). "The Best Podcasts of 2020". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 8, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "The Best Movie Podcasts to Binge If You Are a Cinephile". Town & Country. June 8, 2020. Archived from the original on October 17, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- ^ Liebenson, Donald (April 30, 2020). "Eight Great Movie Podcasts to Try Once You've Finished You Must Remember This". Vanity Fair Blogs. Archived from the original on May 8, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- ^ Allen, Nick (December 3, 2020). "What to Read, Watch, and Listen to If You're Obsessed With Mank on Netflix". Vulture. Archived from the original on October 17, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- ^ Quah, Nicholas (October 28, 2020). "Alice Isn't Dead, Radio Rental, and 2 More Spooky Podcasts Worth Trying". Vulture. Archived from the original on October 17, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- ^ "Inside The Disney Vault tackles the entire twee canon, from the classics to the bombs". The A.V. Club. July 9, 2018. Archived from the original on October 17, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- ^ Sanchez, Omar (September 1, 2018). "8 Podcasts About Film History". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 17, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- ^ Greene, Steve (July 13, 2018). "The 50 Best Podcast Episodes of 2018 (So Far)". IndieWire. Archived from the original on October 17, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- ^ "The 20 Best Movie Podcasts (for every film buff)". Discover the Best Podcasts | Discover Pods. December 3, 2019. Archived from the original on October 17, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- ^ VanDerWerff, Emily (May 28, 2018). "4 great new movie podcasts to listen to right now". Vox. Archived from the original on October 19, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- ^ Zook, Austin (September 11, 2018). "Get Wrapped Up in UNSPOOLED". LWOS life. Archived from the original on October 17, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- ^ Green, Declan · (March 16, 2019). "Review: 'Unspooled' Podcast". The Nerd Daily. Archived from the original on October 17, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- ^ "Unspooled Podcast: Podcast Review". www.quillpodcasting.com. Archived from the original on October 17, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- ^ "Unspooled: Preview: What Is Unspooled? on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Archived from the original on October 17, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- ^ "Unspooled". Unspooled. Archived from the original on October 17, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- ^ "Q&A: Why comedy everyman Paul Scheer is acting as fast as he can". Los Angeles Times. March 30, 2019. Archived from the original on October 17, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- ^ "Unspooled: Screen Test on Stitcher". www.stitcher.com. Archived from the original on October 17, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
