Hanging with Becky

Becky welcomes her friend, writer and former Hollywood book club member Eliot M Gerstel to talk about one of her favorite films of the year: YOU CAN SEE EVERYTHING, the extraordinary new documentary from Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim about Elizabeth Holmes. This conversation has actually been eight years in the making. Back in 2018, Becky, Eliot and three other Sony executives read John Carreyrou's Bad Blood together for their Hollywood book club and became completely fascinated by Holmes, Theranos and the almost unbelievable story of how she convinced some of the most powerful people in the world to believe in her. Years later, Becky and Eliot finally get to return to that story together — but YOU CAN SEE EVERYTHING takes them somewhere neither could have anticipated. The film follows Holmes and her partner Billy Evans in the period before she enters federal prison, with Fielder and Oppenheim gaining astonishing access to their home, their relationship and their attempts to control the story being told about her. Becky was lucky enough to see the film at an advance screening at the Academy Museum, followed by a Q&A with Fielder and Oppenheim moderated by Bill Hader, and walked out feeling like she had experienced something unlike any documentary she had ever seen. In a spoiler-filled conversation, Becky and Eliot dig into the film's many layers and the questions it raises about Elizabeth Holmes, the people around her and our own instinct to decide whom we believe. They explore why so many intelligent and powerful people trusted Holmes in the first place, whether she genuinely believes she did nothing wrong, the unsettling absence of remorse they see in her and the strange power she continues to have over people who spend time with her. Eliot argues that the documentary ultimately becomes something much bigger than a story about Theranos or corporate fraud: an exploration of trust itself. Why do we choose to believe another person? What instincts tell us someone is safe or trustworthy? And what happens when those instincts fail us? Becky and Eliot also unpack the fascinating and increasingly unsettling presence of Billy Evans, Nathan Fielder becoming a character inside his own documentary, the complicated empathy that develops when a filmmaker spends years with his subject, and the blurred lines between truth, performance and the version of ourselves we choose to show other people. The deeper the film goes, the harder it becomes to know exactly whom — or what — to trust. They also talk about Fielder and Oppenheim's extraordinary filmmaking choices, the documentary's wildly funny and deeply disturbing tonal shifts, the phenomenon surrounding its secretive production and viral marketing, and why a film running nearly three hours can somehow feel like it flies by. Then it's time to turn up the volume. Eliot asked for perhaps the broadest Becky Challenge subject yet: 20th-century music (1:21:57). So The Becky Challenge: Soundtrack of the Century takes him through 25 questions spanning jazz, classic rock, Motown, pop, alternative, hip-hop, landmark albums, legendary performers and nearly an entire century of music. Can Eliot prove that his musical knowledge really does stretch across the decades and earn the title of Music Icon? Trust your instincts... and come hang out with Becky! Host: Becky D'Anna Guest: Eliot M Gerstel Producer: Kyle Reardon Produced and Edited By: KPR Media Subscribe to Hanging with Becky on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HangingwithBecky Follow Hanging with Becky: Instagram: @hangingwithbecky Twitter: @hangwithbecky BlueSky: @hangingwithbecky TikTok: @hangingwithbecky Letterboxd: @hangwithbecky Follow Becky D'Anna: Instagram: @thebeckydanna Twitter: @hwoodminotaur Bluesky: @hwoodminotaur Letterboxd: @hwoodminotaur

Becky welcomes her good friend and longtime podcaster Jacob Rivera to talk about one of their most anticipated movies of the year: THE SOCIAL RECKONING, Aaron Sorkin's follow-up to THE SOCIAL NETWORK. Jacob is the ideal guest for this conversation. He's a massive David Fincher fan who considers THE SOCIAL NETWORK a perfect movie, and in 2020 he joined Leanne Kubicz on Film 89 for an episode celebrating its 10th anniversary. Becky feels just as strongly about the film — it was her favorite movie of 2010 and her favorite movie of the entire 2010–2019 decade. So what happens when you make a sequel to something both of them consider nearly flawless? Becky and Jacob went into THE SOCIAL RECKONING with enormous expectations — and both walked away disappointed. They break down why the film's important subject matter still makes them glad it exists, even as they wrestle with a script they feel never finds the emotional center that made THE SOCIAL NETWORK so powerful. They discuss the story of Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen, the platform's algorithms and their role in amplifying extremism, the shadow of January 6th, and the frustrating reality that years after these revelations, the real-world consequences feel far less definitive than the movie's title might suggest. The conversation inevitably turns to the original film and why it remains such a masterclass. Becky and Jacob compare its sharply drawn characters, kinetic dialogue, David Fincher's direction, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross' unforgettable score and the emotional vulnerability Andrew Garfield brought to Eduardo Saverin with what they feel is missing from the new film. For both of them, THE SOCIAL NETWORK made even difficult or unsympathetic characters feel fully human; THE SOCIAL RECKONING too often feels like it is explaining events rather than allowing the audience to experience them through its characters. That doesn't mean there aren't moments they admire. Becky singles out a terrific sequence in which a Facebook team presents its findings to Mark Zuckerberg, only to have him rapidly tear through their carefully prepared slides. It's a scene that, for her, briefly captures the tension, character and crackling energy she hoped to find throughout the movie. They also talk about Jeremy Strong's take on Zuckerberg, Mikey Madison and Jeremy Allen White, Aaron Sorkin as both writer and director, the difference a great film score can make, whether this story might have worked better as a documentary, and the difficult question of whether some movies simply don't need sequels. The conversation expands beyond the film into their own relationships with social media — the connections it can create, the negativity it can amplify, and why something capable of bringing people together can just as easily bring out the worst in us. Jacob also makes the case for seeing movies for yourself and forming your own opinion, even when critics, friends or the internet tell you otherwise. And then it's time to step into the ring. Boxing is Jacob's favorite sport. He's attended more than 60 live boxing events, appeared multiple times on the Pound4Pound Boxing Report, and counts ROCKY, RAGING BULL and MILLION DOLLAR BABY among his favorite films. So for The Becky Challenge: Go the Distance (1:05:53), Becky gives him 25 questions combining boxing movies, legendary fighters, rules, terminology and the sweet science itself. Can Jacob make it through all five rounds and become the Undisputed Champion? Step into the ring... and come hang out with Becky! Host: Becky D'Anna Guest: Jacob Rivera Producer: Kyle Reardon Produced and Edited By: KPR Media Subscribe to Hanging with Becky on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HangingwithBecky Follow Hanging with Becky: Instagram: @hangingwithbecky Twitter: @hangwithbecky BlueSky: @hangingwithbecky TikTok: @hangingwithbecky Letterboxd: @hangwithbecky Follow Jacob Rivera Letterboxd: @jratm23 Follow Becky D'Anna: Instagram: @thebeckydanna Twitter: @hwoodminotaur Bluesky: @hwoodminotaur Letterboxd: @hwoodminotaur Listen to Jacob celebrate THE SOCIAL NETWORK on Film 89: Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-55-the-social-network-2010/id1332493155?i=1000491859754 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6vwT8tuv0kESzp1UdJ0N0z

Becky welcomes back Hanging with Becky producer, Kyle Reardon to talk about a smaller film they're especially excited to champion: THE SCOUT. Written and directed by Paula González-Nasser, THE SCOUT follows Sofia, a New York City location scout played by Mimi Davila, as she travels from apartment to apartment searching for the perfect spaces for a television pilot. Along the way, she gets brief glimpses into the private lives of the strangers who open their doors to her — while quietly beginning to question the direction of her own life. Kyle is the perfect person to join Becky for this one. In addition to being a filmmaker, he has worked extensively in film and television locations, giving him firsthand experience with everything from scouting spaces and working with property owners to figuring out how an entire production can move into a real location and leave it exactly as it was found. And according to Kyle, THE SCOUT gets that world remarkably right. Becky and Kyle dig into the film's beautifully observed encounters between Sofia and the people she meets — an older woman missing her grown children, an uncomfortable new father, a stranger eager to break into the film business, an old friend, and a fish store owner who turns a desperate location search into one of the movie's funniest and most awkward detours. They explore how those seemingly small interactions become the heart of the film, revealing entire lives through apartments, conversations and fleeting moments between strangers. Kyle also shares what location work is actually like — from convincing people to let a film crew invade their homes to protecting those spaces once dozens of cast and crew members arrive. The conversation also gets into the less glamorous realities of working in film: impossible schedules, parking tickets, changing plans, demanding bosses, the pressure to solve problems that technically aren't in your job description, and the expectation that you give so much of yourself to making someone else's project happen. For both Becky and Kyle, that makes Sofia's journey surprisingly universal — whether you've ever worked on a movie set or simply found yourself wondering what comes next in your own career and life. They also celebrate THE SCOUT as an intimate New York character study and a reminder that some of the most rewarding movies don't need enormous stakes — sometimes a day spent driving around a city, meeting strangers and looking through their doors can reveal something profound about the human experience. Becky and Kyle both agree that this is exactly the kind of independent film they're happy Hanging with Becky can help champion. And then the doors close, the sun goes down... and the boogeyman comes home. With Halloween just a few weeks away, Kyle takes on The Becky Challenge: The Night He Came Home (46:01) — 25 questions covering Michael Myers, Laurie Strode, Dr. Loomis, Haddonfield, filmmakers, sequels, alternate timelines and nearly five decades of HALLOWEEN franchise history. Kyle has already established himself as one of the strongest Becky Challenge competitors. Can he survive Halloween night and earn the ultimate title of The Shape? Open the door, watch for the boogeyman... and come hang out with Becky! Host: Becky D'Anna Guest: Kyle Reardon Producer: Kyle Reardon Produced and Edited By: KPR Media Subscribe to Hanging with Becky on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HangingwithBecky Follow Hanging with Becky: Instagram: @hangingwithbecky Twitter: @hangwithbecky BlueSky: @hangingwithbecky TikTok: @hangingwithbecky Letterboxd: @hangwithbecky Follow Kyle Reardon Letterboxd: @kylereardon Follow Becky D'Anna: Instagram: @thebeckydanna Twitter: @hwoodminotaur Bluesky: @hwoodminotaur Letterboxd: @hwoodminotaur

This week, Becky welcomes back her amazing friend Jon Laubinger for a very different kind of conversation about PRIMETIME, Lance Oppenheim's first narrative feature and a provocative look behind the scenes of Chris Hansen and To Catch a Predator. Jon is a filmmaker, writer and podcaster — and Becky's former co-host on Director's Take: A Sony Pictures Podcast — as well as someone she trusts deeply to approach difficult material with thoughtfulness, empathy and nuance. That made him the person she wanted beside her for a movie that raises uncomfortable questions without offering many easy answers. Neither Becky nor Jon were regular viewers of To Catch a Predator when it originally aired, but both remember its enormous cultural presence. Watching PRIMETIME gives them a window into a world they largely experienced from the outside — and into the complicated machinery that turned predators, sting operations and public humiliation into primetime entertainment. They dig into Robert Pattinson's unsettling portrayal of Chris Hansen, Merritt Wever's terrific performance as producer Andie Bender, the haunting innocence of Decoy Dan, and the movie's claustrophobic, almost nightmarish visual style. They also talk about the unexpected flashes of dark humor running through a film that left both of them fascinated, deeply uncomfortable and very certain they never need to watch it again. The conversation goes deeper into ambition, ratings, performative justice and the moral compromises that can happen when journalism becomes entertainment. Jon draws on his legal background to question the methods behind the original show, while he and Becky explore the film's refusal to provide simple heroes or villains — and the unsettling way nearly everyone involved begins to feel changed by what they're doing. They also discuss the film as a portrait of the early 2000s media landscape, the line between confronting disturbing material and exploiting it, and why challenging art doesn't necessarily have to make an audience feel good to be worthwhile. And after all of that... Jon desperately needs a palate cleanser. So naturally, it's time for The Becky Challenge: This Is Jeopardy! (39:21) The last time Jon visited the show, he scored an incredible 22 out of 25 and earned the title of Trivia Titan. This time, Becky brings him even closer to his dream of someday competing on Jeopardy! with 25 clues spanning world history, science, geography, literature, movies, art and general knowledge — complete with Daily Doubles, Final Jeopardy! and Jon's very own signaling device. Can Jon prove that he's truly Ready for the Podium? Get ready for primetime... and come hang out with Becky! Host: Becky D'Anna Guest: Jon Laubinger Producer: Kyle Reardon Produced and Edited By: KPR Media Subscribe to Hanging with Becky on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HangingwithBecky Follow Hanging with Becky: Instagram: @hangingwithbecky Twitter: @hangwithbecky BlueSky: @hangingwithbecky TikTok: @hangingwithbecky Letterboxd: @hangwithbecky Follow Jon Laubinger Instagram:@jonjamesdt Twitter: @jonjamesdt Follow Becky D'Anna: Instagram: @thebeckydanna Twitter: @hwoodminotaur Bluesky: @hwoodminotaur Letterboxd: @hwoodminotaur Listen to Becky and Jon's episodes of Director's Take: A Sony Pictures Podcast: Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/directors-take/id1840753945 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1Ek5Lzhi95Jk0YhWrQu1DB Website: https://directorstakepodcast.com/

This week, Becky welcomes back her incredible friend Martin Kessler for a movie they've been waiting a very long time to talk about: RESIDENT EVIL. Martin is a longtime fan of both the games and movies — so much so that when Becky first dreamed up Hanging with Becky, he was one of the first guests she booked because she already knew he was the person she wanted to talk with when the new RESIDENT EVIL film was released. For Becky, the anticipation was just as high. After loving BARBARIAN and naming WEAPONS her favorite film of 2025, Zach Cregger's take on RESIDENT EVIL became her most anticipated movie of the fall — and after seeing it twice, she's thrilled to say it delivered. Becky and Martin dig into the film's wonderfully strange combination of horror, action and comedy, Austin Abrams' hilariously vulnerable performance as Bryan, and the decision to tell a completely self-contained story rather than simply recreate characters and plots from the games. They break down the movie's relentless 90-minute journey through one escalating nightmare after another — including the farmhouse, mutant creatures, disastrous attempts to use guns, locked doors that stubbornly refuse to behave like action-movie doors, and a protagonist who keeps trying to do the right thing even as everything around him goes completely off the rails. The conversation also gets surprisingly thoughtful as Martin reads the horrors Bryan encounters as manifestations of his fear about becoming a father — from domestic life to children to the movie's wildly grotesque maternity ward — while Becky sees a parallel emotional journey in Bryan's growing realization of what his girlfriend and future family mean to him. Their different interpretations lead to one of the episode's most interesting discussions about how much of a filmmaker's thematic intent is deliberate and how much an audience brings to a movie themselves. And somehow, Becky and Martin also find time to mount an enthusiastic defense of RESIDENT EVIL: WELCOME TO RACCOON CITY, compare this new film to earlier entries in the franchise, talk about Zach Cregger's comedy background, and celebrate all the little game references hiding throughout the movie. Then it's time to see whether Martin can survive another Becky Challenge (1:23:23). After tying the all-time record with an incredible 24 out of 25 on Going Ape, Martin returns for The Becky Challenge: Enter Survival Horror — 25 questions spanning the RESIDENT EVIL games, live-action movies, Raccoon City, Umbrella, monsters, characters and franchise lore. Survive the night... and come hang out with Becky! Host: Becky D'Anna Guest: Martin Kessler Producer: Kyle Reardon Produced and Edited By: KPR Media Subscribe to Hanging with Becky on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HangingwithBecky Follow Hanging with Becky: Instagram: @hangingwithbecky Twitter: @hangwithbecky Bluesky: @hangingwithbecky TikTok: @hangingwithbecky Letterboxd: @hangwithbecky Follow Martin Kessler: Twitter: @MovieKessler Bluesky: @MovieKessler Instagram: @moviekessler Follow Becky D'Anna: Instagram: @thebeckydanna Twitter: @hwoodminotaur Bluesky: @hwoodminotaur Letterboxd: @hwoodminotaur Celebrate ADAPTATION with Becky and Zach Cregger on Director's Take: A Sony Pictures Podcast: Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/zach-cregger-adaptation/id1840753945?i=1000729183843 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6H16LiwpgrEPQ8uhHE3FRU Website: https://directorstakepodcast.com/