Nine Podcasts For Every Kind Of Movie Lover
Since everyone (for the most part) is stuck at home, you may need a break from binge-watching things. Hard to believe we could get to that point, but if you’d rather get your media via your ears instead of your eyes, I have a few podcast suggestions for you, and there’s easily something for everyone.
All of these have free episodes on the Apple Podcast app and should have availability on either Spotify or Google Play store.
1. For old-school Hollywood lovers: You Must Remember This
Whether you’re in love with silent movies, the original studio systems or - interestingly enough - intrigued by the Manson murders, there’s a series within this podcast for you. The stories of this podcast are a lot of the lesser known tales - or sides of tales - that you don’t hear about very often. It’s very easy to fall into episode after episode, thanks to the host’s soothing voice and fascinating stories.
2. For the ‘so bad it’s good’ crowd: How Did This Get Made
Okay, this is a bit of an obvious one. But this is truly one of the funniest podcasts that exist. If you can appreciate the insanity that is a wonderfully bad movie, look no further. There are at least 100 hours of laugh-out-loud inducing episodes that can range from raunchy to intelligently insightful when discussing the titular question as to how some absolutely awful movies got made.
3. For the fans of the classics: Unspooled
Maybe you are still hoping to watch some stuff with the occasional break in between. For that, Unspooled is your way to go. One by one, the hosts are going through the AFI top 100 films and sharing their opinions on each one, as well as bringing in some special guests that have a tie to the discussed movie. Some of my favorite episodes include their mini-series about some of the most popular films recently.
4. For adaptation appreciators: Fictional
Some of these are more book based, but thanks to some extremely wry humor and creative storytelling, these shorter episodes (usually 35-45 min) basically feel like their own adaptations of some more classic tales. Most stories get a run of a few episodes, and if this sounds interesting to you, I’d also recommend his other podcast, Myths & Legends. Same church, different pew.
5. For the one who loves everything: Pop Culture Happy Hour
There are few people whose opinions I trust more when it comes to pop culture than the panelists on this NPR podcast. Most episodes are bite sized but the back catalogue is so large that you could find enough to keep you going for a very long time. The hosts are hilarious, intelligent and extremely well versed in just about everything movie and tv based. No matter what you like, odds are, they’ve talked about something you’ll love.
6. For the nerds of all kinds: The Weekly Planet
A friend turned me onto this podcast and at first I side-eyed it a bit, but this is the highlight of almost every Monday. These cheeky Aussie nerds deep dive into one topic every week while giving news updates in the world of pop culture, especially as it relates to Star Wars, comic book movies and other blockbusters. Prepare yourself to laugh out loud, even if you end up disagreeing with them on a lot.
7. For the deep divers: Blank Check
If you’d rather spend more time with a specific topic, Blank Check is definitely going to be up your alley. One by one, they work their way through a director’s entire filmography, especially those who managed to make that one film that was so good, they were basically given a blank check to do as they will - often to hilarious or ridiculous results.
8. For the ones who need a laugh: Doug Loves Movies
Doug Benson is a comedian who loves talking about movies with his other hilarious friends. This has to be one of the earliest media podcasts - it has been around for ages and almost every comedian you’ve liked has been on an episode. If you just want to be a part of a world where funny people talk about movies in funny ways, boom, you’re set.
9. For the viewers who find the bad guys most interesting: Villains
If you find yourself curious about the villains in films, there’s another set of episodes just for you. There are ‘seasons’ of this podcast where they take apart fictional villains within certain tropes and share the stories behind them as well as the real life inspiration. Whether it’s a comic book dame like Harley Quinn or a big scary mobster, there’s stuff we could learn about them all.
Any favorite podcasts getting you through isolation times? Share in the comments!