The Third Act Podcast

On the two hundred and eighty-fifth episode of THE THIRD ACT PODCAST, the crew are living their cram-American dream.Christian and Jericho burn the midnight oil to record the annual Cram Session episode where they discuss all of the 2025 films they watched in preparation for their upcoming Fav Films of the Year lists. It's a big one! Movies discussed on the show:HAMNET, MARTY SUPREME, WHERE TO LAND, IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT, RESURRECTION, NO OTHER CHOICE, THE BALLAD OF SUZANNE CESAIRE, THE HISTORY OF SOUND, SENTIMENTAL VALUE, WAKE UP DEAD MAN, THE MASTERMIND, UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE, ROOFMAN, VULCANIZADORA, NE ZHA 2, THE ACTOR, SUSPENDED TIME, ARCHITECTON, THE BALCONETTES,  MEGADOC, THE HOUSEMAID, WHO BY FIRE, AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH, YOU BURN ME, ALPHA, 2000 METERS TO ANDRIIVKA, JAWS AT 50, THE ALABAMA SOLUTION, PEE WEE AS HIMSELF, A USEFUL GHOST, KEEPER, DICIANNOVE (19), RADU JUDE'S DRACULA,  COVER-UP, NUREMBERG, LEFT-HANDED GIRL, TO A LAND UNKNOWN, ZOOTOPIA 2, MOUNTAINHEAD, TOGETHER, SHELBY OAKS, SISU: ROAD TO REVENGE, ANACONDA, THE GREAT FLOOD, ETERNITY, 7 WALKS WITH MARK BROWN, THE SECRET AGENT, PETER HUJAR'S DAY, LATE SHIFT, BLUE SUN PALACE, SONG SUNG BLUESubscribe to Jericho's Substack: symbioticreviews.substack.comKeep in touch with us on Instagram and email us anytime at: TheThirdActPodcast@gmail.com  

On the two hundred and eighty-fourth episode of THE THIRD ACT PODCAST, the crew are chasing a sense of discovery.Christian and Jericho celebrate the new year by gushing about their respective 5 fav old films they watched in 2025. There's something for everyone here; from avant-garde curios to languid classics of 70s cinema!They also talk about Christian's index cards, Dr. Mayra consultations, and looming cram session anxiety.Subscribe to Jericho's Substack: symbioticreviews.substack.comKeep in touch with us on Instagram and email us anytime at: TheThirdActPodcast@gmail.com   

On the two hundred and eighty-third episode of THE THIRD ACT PODCAST, the crew are sipping spiked eggnog and yearning for the Flicksmas singers.Christian, Jericho, Armando, and returning guest Mayra Russo usher in the 2025 edition of Merry Flicksmas (an annual crossover with the fine folks at The Flicksation Podcast) with reviews of Todd Haynes' 2015 romantic drama CAROL, 2005 Mike Patton-starring cult thriller FIRECRACKER, 2008 French melodrama A CHRISTMAS TALE, and Céline Sciamma's 2021 Ghibli-esque fable PETITE MAMAN. Meanwhile, SENTIMENTAL VALUE, IF I HAD LEGS I'D KICK YOU, WHITE NOISE (2022), DOG DAY AFTERNOON (1975), GREMLINS (1984), ROOFMAN, JAY KELLY, and ELLA MCCAY are up for discussion in the Recently Watched segment.They also chat Xmas music playlists, super sub Robert Gassaway, Discord ambient noise reduction, Mayra having a doctorate, Flickmas singers lore, and Bobby "Uncannavale Valley."  Subscribe to Jericho's Substack: symbioticreviews.substack.comKeep in touch with us on Instagram and email us anytime at: TheThirdActPodcast@gmail.com   

On the two hundred and eighty-second episode of THE THIRD ACT PODCAST, the crew are getting a double dose of Dick.Christian, Jericho, and Armando jump in front of the mics for reviews of two new Richard Linklater joints; the amiable story of how Jean Luc Godard made the 1960 classic BREATHLESS titled NOUVELLE VAGUE, and Ethan Hawke-starring chamber drama about renowned lyricist Lorenz Hart, BLUE MOON.They also chat about annual Xmas movie favs, egg nog etiquette, the lore behind Christian's "sorry I'm drinks" mantra, aesthetic nostalgia, and annoyingly verbose sad guys at the bar.Subscribe to Jericho's Substack: symbioticreviews.substack.comKeep in touch with us on Instagram and email us anytime at: TheThirdActPodcast@gmail.com    

On the two hundred and eighty-first episode of THE THIRD ACT PODCAST, the crew are going feral.Christian and Jericho discuss two films about complicated mothers with reviews of Lynne Ramsey's DIE MY LOVE and Mary Bronstein's IF I HAD LEGS I'D KICK YOU. But first, they launch into YEAST (2008), ANEMONE, PREDATOR: BADLANDS, and Guillermo Del Toro's FRANKENSTEIN in a sprawling Recently Watched segment.They also chat digital sheen, postpartum depression, and whether or not listening to someone else's dream is actually worthwhile.Subscribe to Jericho's Substack: symbioticreviews.substack.comKeep in touch with us on Instagram and email us anytime at: TheThirdActPodcast@gmail.com  

On the two hundred and eightieth episode of THE THIRD ACT PODCAST, the crew are on the verge of extinction.Christian and Jericho leap into the twisted mind of Yorgos Lanthimos with a review of conspiracy drama BUGONIA and then sweat ballistic missles in the Situation Room to tackle Kathryn Bigelow's nuclear political thriller, A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE for an episode titled "Bigelow V Bugonia." But first, THE SMASHING MACHINE and CLOUD get the Recently Watched treatment.They also discuss backloaded 2025 releases, the ANACONDA remake, conspiracy theory brain rot, on the nose needle drops, auteur theory, American exceptionalism, and POTUS jump shots.Subscribe to Jericho's Substack: symbioticreviews.substack.comKeep in touch with us on Instagram and email us anytime at: TheThirdActPodcast@gmail.com  

On the two hundred and seventy-ninth episode of THE THIRD ACT PODCAST, the crew are trying to listen more and talk less.Christian and Jericho wade into the discourse with reviews of Luca Guadagnino's polarizing cancel culture satire(?) AFTER THE HUNT, writer-director-star Eva Victor's comic drama debut, SORRY, BABY, and Sarah Polley's 2023 parable of shame and abuse, WOMEN TALKING.They also discuss preening misogynists, Gen X diatribes, religious trauma, and combining humor with tragedy.Subscribe to Jericho's Substack: symbioticreviews.substack.comKeep in touch with us on Instagram and email us anytime at: TheThirdActPodcast@gmail.com  

On the two hundred and seventy-eighth episode of THE THIRD ACT PODCAST, the crew are experiencing strange tingling sensations.Christian, Jericho, and returning guest Mayra Russo get together for a spooky season-themed episode titled "Horror Hive 2025" where they dissect three horror-adjacent films, William Castle's 1959 camp classic THE TINGLER, German artist/filmmaker Muscha's lo-fi punk curio DECODER (1984), and Alejandro Amenábar's 1996 cerebral thriller, THESIS. But first, THE SPIDER LABYRINTH (1988), MAGIC (1978), THE ETERNAL (1998), PLAY DIRTY, Larry Cohen's Q (1982), KPOP DEMON HUNTERS, HIM, THEY SHOOT HORSES, DON'T THEY? (1969), and ROOFMAN get the jumbo Recently Watched treatment.  They also discuss 1950's domesticity/sexual repression, screaming to relieve tension, surveillance states, punk analog mixtapes, AI slop, audiovisual violence, and inviting your stalker to coffee.Subscribe to Jericho's Substack: symbioticreviews.substack.comKeep in touch with us on Instagram and email us anytime at: TheThirdActPodcast@gmail.com  

On the two hundred and seventy-seventh episode of THE THIRD ACT PODCAST, the crew are joining the resistance.Christian, Jericho, and Armando reconvene for a very special episode titled "PTA Meeting II: One Bake Sale After Another" where they review Paul Thomas Anderson's sprawling comic action epic, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER (which they saw together in Oakland, Ca!). But first, THE NAKED GUN (2025), DANGEROUS ANIMALS, THE TRIGGER EFFECT (1996), EBONY & IVORY, EDDINGTON, JOBE'Z WORLD (2018), THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME, A REAL PAIN (2024), KPOP DEMON HUNTERS, and BEFORE SUNSET (2004) get the jumbo-sized Recently Watched treatment.They also discuss performative crowd reactions, bong rips, neoliberal wet dreams, generational baton passing, and PTA power rankings.Subscribe to Jericho's Substack: symbioticreviews.substack.comKeep in touch with us on Instagram and email us anytime at: TheThirdActPodcast@gmail.com   

On the two hundred and seventy-sixth episode of THE THIRD ACT PODCAST, the crew are obsessed with high heels and phallic razors.Christian and Jericho continue their Auteurography series on the films of Brian De Palma with reviews of the lo-fi farce HOME MOVIES and sleazy grindhouse thriller DRESSED TO KILL (both from 1980). But first, Darren Aronofsky's CAUGHT STEALING and repertory screenings of JAWS (1975) and CITIZEN KANE (1941) get the Recently Watched treatment.They also discuss autobiographical context, duality, puritanism, misogyny, and trans representation.Subscribe to Jericho's Substack: symbioticreviews.substack.comKeep in touch with us on Instagram and email us anytime at: TheThirdActPodcast@gmail.com    

On the two hundred and seventy-fifth episode of THE THIRD ACT PODCAST, the crew have a competition in them and want no one else to succeed.Christian, Jericho, and Armando look forward to the upcoming Paul Thomas Anderson film ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER by glancing back with reviews of BOOGIE NIGHTS (1997), THERE WILL BE BLOOD (2007), and INHERENT VICE (2014) for a theme titled "PTA Meeting."They also discuss found family, father-son relationships, fruitful artistic collaborations, and Joaquin Phoenix pratfalls.Subscribe to Jericho's Substack: symbioticreviews.substack.comKeep in touch with us on Instagram and email us anytime at: TheThirdActPodcast@gmail.com    

On the two hundred and seventy-fourth episode of THE THIRD ACT PODCAST, the crew are wondering who will be the highest or lowest on the Spike-0-Meter.Christian, Jericho, and Armando get in front of the mics to rap about the latest Spike Lee joint HIGHEST 2 LOWEST, a "reimagining" of Akira Kurosawa's 1963 neo-noir classic HIGH AND LOW. But first, they discuss MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: THE FINAL RECKONING, WEAPONS, NE ZHA 2, and THE LIFE OF CHUCK in the Recently Watched segment.They also chat the Apple TV overspend, art vs. commerce, NBA 2K storymode, shameful theatrical rollouts, legacy, Boston hate, and old man yelling at the cloud rants.Subscribe to Jericho's Substack: symbioticreviews.substack.comKeep in touch with us on Instagram and email us anytime at: TheThirdActPodcast@gmail.com  

On the two hundred and seventy-third episode of THE THIRD ACT PODCAST, the crew are embracing their horror era.Christian and Jericho jump in front of the mics for an episode theme titled "Weapons of Mass Witchcraft", where they review the newly released horror sensation WEAPONS and the 1982 cult curio HALLOWEEN III: SEASON OF THE WITCH. First, however, they tackle the 2025 James Gunn SUPERMAN, 2006's SUPERMAN RETURNS, and FANTASTIC FOUR FOUR: FIRST STEPS in the Recently Watched segment.They also discuss a case for maximalism via email, mystery marketing, hagsploitation, children in peril, horn doggin' M.D.s, and having a Paul Walter Hauser summer.Subscribe to Jericho's Substack: symbioticreviews.substack.comKeep in touch with us on Instagram and email us anytime at: TheThirdActPodcast@gmail.com  

On the two hundred and seventy-second episode of THE THIRD ACT PODCAST, the crew are Coen' the distance.Christian, Jericho, and returning guest Mayra Russo do a deep dive into the CBCU (Coen Bros Cinematic Universe) with reviews of their neo-noir debut, BLOOD SIMPLE (1984), zany screwball farce/financial flop THE HUDSUCKER PROXY (1994), and downbeat noir character study, THE MAN WHO WASN'T THERE (2001).They also chat BRING HER BACK, FINAL DESTINATION: BLOODLINES, and THE NAKED GUN reboot in the Recently Watched segment before diving into Paul Walter Hauser reappraisal, smelly fish, noir horror, communication breakdowns, pessimism, and how the Coens contain multitudes.Subscribe to Jericho's Substack: symbioticreviews.substack.comKeep in touch with us on Instagram and email us anytime at: TheThirdActPodcast@gmail.com  

On the two hundred and seventy-first episode of THE THIRD ACT PODCAST, the crew are embracing their inner arthouse goon.Christian and Jericho limp away from the mainstream into fringe territory with reviews of Andrzej Żuławski's 1972 horror parable, THE DEVIL, and Mark Rappaport's 1977 minimalist melodrama, LOCAL COLOR, for a series entitled "Arthouse Goonies Vol. 1".They also chat about Alain Guiraudie's latest dark comedy MISERICORDIA in the Recently Watched segment before digging into Polish politics, finding humor in misery, anti-realism, and how movies are dreams.Subscribe to Jericho's Substack: symbioticreviews.substack.comKeep in touch with us on Instagram and email us anytime at: TheThirdActPodcast@gmail.com    

On the two hundred and seventieth episode of THE THIRD ACT PODCAST, the crew are freeing their hearts.Christian and Jericho go back to the early days of the COVID 19 pandemic with a theme titled "2020 Visions" to review Ari Aster's divisive black comedy, EDDINGTON, and Lou Ye's more empathetic but still intense doc hybrid AN UNFINISHED FILM. First, however,  French New Wave films LOVE AT SEA (1965), WALL ENGRAVINGS (1967), and EARTH LIGHT (1970) as well as THE ALTO KNIGHTS and A FEW GOOD MEN get the Recently Watched treatment.They also discuss echo chambers, the return of Southwest Airlines screening slop, doomscrolling, brain rot, and Substack malpractice.Subscribe to Jericho's Substack: symbioticreviews.substack.comKeep in touch with us on Instagram and email us anytime at: TheThirdActPodcast@gmail.com  

On the latest bonus episode of THE THIRD ACT PODCAST, the crew are communicating via telekinesis.Christian and Jericho continue their Auteurography series on the films of Brian De Palma with reviews of 1976's iconic horror hit CARRIE and 1978's comic psychic teen drama/espionage thriller, THE FURY.They also discuss Southwest Airlines screening slop, the audacious CARRIE opening sequence, patriarchal society, sexual shame, evil John Cassavetes, and a horrifyingly horny John Travolta.Subscribe to Jericho's Substack: symbioticreviews.substack.comKeep in touch with us on Instagram and email us anytime at: TheThirdActPodcast@gmail.com   

On the two hundred and sixty-ninth episode of THE THIRD ACT PODCAST, the crew are isolating from the infected.Christian and Jericho hunker down on their quarantined island for a SPOILER-filled review of Danny Boyle and Alex Garland's return to their celebrated franchise, 28 YEARS LATER. For the paring film, the 1971 cerebral outbreak classic THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN is up for discussion.They also chat about the Apple TV overspend, Aaron Taylor Johnson ascendancy, reckoning with a global pandemic, Panavision split diopter shots, and Jack O' Connell coming for the 2025 TAP awards "Up to Something" crown.Subscribe to Jericho's Substack: symbioticreviews.substack.comKeep in touch with us on Instagram and email us anytime at: TheThirdActPodcast@gmail.com   

On the two hundred and sixty-eighth episode of THE THIRD ACT PODCAST, the crew are grabbing slices of stuffed crust pizza.Christian, Jericho, and Armando continue their long-gestating journey through the Karate Kid franchise with a review of the latest llegacy-quel, KARATE KID: LEGENDS, which they pair with the 1983 Jackie Chan action comedy, PROJECT A. First, however, they chat PEE-WEE AS HIMSELF, PAVEMENTS, and BALLERINA in the Recently Watched segment.They also discuss retconning, nostalgia, daddy Joshua Jackson, and Jackie Chan risking life and limb for cinematic enjoyment.Subscribe to Jericho's Substack: symbioticreviews.substack.comKeep in touch with us on Instagram and email us anytime at: TheThirdActPodcast@gmail.com  

On the latest pulse-pounding bonus episode of THE THIRD ACT PODCAST, the crew are sleeping better knowing that Ethan Hunt is out there.Christian joins forces with long-time listener and fellow Mission Impossible fan Mayra (covertly beaming in from Italy) to talk Tom Cruise's death-defying ode to the power of cinema with MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - THE FINAL RECKONING.They also discuss their personal history with the franchise, violent AI rage reactions, the state of modern action cinema, and the fan to podcaster pipeline.Subscribe to Jericho's Substack: symbioticreviews.substack.comKeep in touch with us on Instagram and email us anytime at: TheThirdActPodcast@gmail.com