What Are You Watching?
A podcast for people who LOVE movies. Filmmakers/best friends, Alex Withrow and Nick Dostal, do their part to keep film alive. Thanks for listening, and happy watching!
195: Director’s Cuts vs. Theatrical Cuts
Are director’s cuts better? Should directors just leave their movies alone? Alex and Nick break down the concept of a movie director’s cut; the directors who do it most, infamous director’s cuts, superior theatrical cuts, and more.
Films discussed include: “Apocalypse Now,” “Blade Runner,” “The Abyss,” “Aliens,” “Kingdom of Heaven,” “Terminator 2,” “Miami Vice,” “Star Wars,” “The Killing of a Chinese Bookie,” “The New World,” “Zodiac,” “Midsommar,” and so much more.
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194: The Social Reckoning (2026)
WAYW misjudged “The Social Reckoning.” Aaron Sorkin made a good movie. Alex and Nick call out their low expectations for the film, then highlight its strong screenplay and performances, and break down Sorkin’s body of work.
At 59:10, the guys switch to a spoiler-filled discussion of the film.
For WAYW, (01:31:08), the guys review “Verity,” “Other Mommy,” and the first few episodes of Netflix’s “East of Eden.”
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193: Digger (2026)
Warning: This episode completely spoils the new Tom Cruise film, “Digger.”
For the first 25 minutes, Alex and Nick have a general, spoiler-free discussion about Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s new film. After the 25-minute mark, the guys fully spoil the masterful, layered, satirical, profound film that is “Digger.”
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192: Vanilla Sky (2001)
Everything, in its right place. Alex and Nick have a freewheeling conversation about Cameron Crowe’s “Vanilla Sky.” Random topics include Tom Cruise’s best work, Crowe’s filmography, 9/11, Radiohead, Barbara Stanwyck, “Abre los ojos,” car crashes, vertigo, Times Square, suicide, dreams, Penélope Cruz playing Sofia twice, Cameron Diaz losing her mind, and more.
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191: Fargo (1996)
Blood has been shed! Alex and Nick break down a modern American masterpiece, Joel and Ethan Coen’s “Fargo.” Topics include theorizing why Jerry Lundegaard needs money, Shep and Carl’s relationship, the geographical distance between Fargo and Minneapolis, Scotty’s fate, the great Harve Presnell as Wade, Carter Burwell’s perfect score, Roger Deakins’ cinematography, and the ingenious decision to include scenes with Mike Yanagita and Mr. Mohra.
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190: The Coen Brothers
What’s the rumpus? Joel and Ethan Coen have written, directed, and edited 18 films together, and Alex and Nick are in their element when discussing them. From “Blood Simple” to “Buster Scruggs,” here’s a breakdown of two of the most singular, hysterical, and intelligent voices in modern film.
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189: Cool Hand Luke (1967)
Welcome back to the WAYW New Hollywood Film Project! Alex and Nick break down one of their shared favorite films of all time, Stuart Rosenberg’s “Cool Hand Luke.” Topics include Paul Newman’s best performances, all the film’s iconic scenes (The Car Wash, Arletta, 50 Eggs, etc.), the ceaseless quotable lines, bucking back against authority, influence on other prison films, the marvelous 4K, and much more.
For WAYW, the guys review Olivia Wilde's new film, "The Invite."
Part 11 of the WAYW New Hollywood Film Project.
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188: The Odyssey (2026)
Alex and Nick rave about Christopher Nolan’s latest film, “The Odyssey.” The guys break down the huge cast, IMAX 70mm screenings, Matt Damon’s best performances, the movie’s astounding set pieces, the score, the practical effects, Oscar chances, and so much more.
Later in the episode, the guys re-rank all of Christopher Nolan’s films.
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187: Whiplash (2014) | Favorite Movie Endings
“Whiplash” contains Nick’s favorite movie ending. Ever. This episode begins with Alex and Nick breaking down Damien Chazelle’s “Whiplash.” The guys discuss the film’s lasting popularity, Paul Reiser’s face, cruel brothers, evil teachers, sociopathic bosses, and why J.K. Simmons’ Oscar-winning performance is one of the greatest villains in cinema.
In the second half (01:35:20), the guys discuss the ending of “Whiplash” in depth and list their favorite movie endings.
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186: Disclosure Day (2026) | Top 10 Steven Spielberg Films
Our first official Steven Spielberg episode! Alex and Nick begin by describing the first Spielberg film they saw, and how it impacted them (04:42).
Next, the guys (briefly) review Spielberg’s latest film, “Disclosure Day” (23:20).
In the back half of the episode, Alex quickly goes through Spielberg’s entire filmography (46:06) before both guys list their Top 10 favorite Steven Spielberg films (01:19:09).
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185: Damien Chazelle
This episode features the most scorching NDHT (Nicholas Dostal Hot Take™) in the history of the pod. Few modern directors have been as impactful as Damien Chazelle. Alex and Nick have a blast diving into Chazelle’s small but remarkable filmography. Stray topics include Justin Hurwitz’s score in “Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench,” the “Whiplash” short film, the lasting magic of “La La Land,” the sound in “First Man,” the cultural reclamation of “Babylon,” and much more.
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184: Best Picture Hot Take
This mixed-bag episode has it all. Alex and Nick begin by introducing their new website, wawypodcast.com, where you can find every episode, buy merch, donate, join Patreon (!), and more.
Then Alex reveals a scorching new hot take concerning the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Lastly, the guys review new Broadway shows, “The Drama,” “Mother Mary,” Season 3 of “Euphoria,” “Face/Off” on the big screen, the best-looking 4K discs, and more.
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183: Jim Jarmusch
Nick and Alex discuss the career of one of Nick’s favorite directors, the singular Jim Jarmusch. As the guys break down each Jarmusch film, stray topics include style vs. fashion, making the mundane cool, slow cinema, revelatory film structure, anthology films, and much more.
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182: One Battle After Another (2025) Commentary
Watch Paul Thomas Anderson’s BEST PICTURE WINNING film right along with Alex and Nick. The guys discuss the movie's brisk pace, Sean Penn’s performance, a critical mistake in the film’s subtitles, stealth long takes, its Oscar wins, and so much more.
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181: 2026 Oscar Reactions
Ocean waves, ocean waves. Recorded immediately after the 98th Academy Awards, Alex and Nick absolutely lose their minds as Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” wins six Oscars.
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180: 2026 Oscar Predictions
This oversized Oscar episode has it all: unhinged rants, passionate appeals, analytic predictions, and friendly arguments.
In Part 1 (00:23:16), Alex and Nick trash the shoddy award shows so far this year, before predicting the winners for every category of the 98th Academy Awards.
Part 2 (01:43:33) is the WAYW Oscars, where the guys each pick their own nominees and winners for every major Oscar category.
Join our Instagram Live at WAYW_Podcast on the day of the awards for our final Oscar picks! Sunday, March 15, 2025, 2:00 p.m. PST.
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179: Halloween (1978) Commentary | Halloween Every Week
Alex completed his 2025 movie challenge of watching John Carpenter’s “Halloween” once a week for the entire year.
In Part 1 (00:01:10) of this episode, Alex does a solo commentary on the film, reporting all the fun things he learned by watching the movie so much.
In Part 2 (01:32:03), Alex brings Nick on to talk about every “Halloween” sequel, the four franchise timelines, John Carpenter’s music, the worst “Halloween,” Sam Raimi’s “Send Help,” and much more.
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178: 2026 Oscar Nominations (Uncut)
Alex and Nick break down the 2026 Oscar nominations. The guys discuss “One Battle After Another” landing 13 nominations (!!), “Sentimental Value’s” surprise showing, and how Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” smashed the Oscar nomination record and will likely go on to win Best Picture.
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177: Top 10 Films of 2025
Alex and Nick list their favorite films of 2025. The guys discuss all the foreign, indie, and mainstream films that worked for them, a few bigger movies that did not, probable Oscar nominees, and so much more.
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176: Klute (1971) | The Parallax View (1974) | All the President’s Men (1976)
Alex and Nick end season 1 of the WAYW New Hollywood Film Project with Alan J. Pakula's Paranoid Thriller Trilogy: “Klute,” “The Parallax View,” and “All the President’s Men.”
The guys break down each film, Pakula’s career, Gordon Willis’ astonishing work as a cinematographer, the current state of journalism, Watergate, “Deep Throat,” JFK, sex work, and so much more.
Part 10 of the WAYW New Hollywood Film Project.
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175: The Way Back (2020)
Alex and Nick discuss alcoholism, depression, losing parents, Ben Affleck’s best work, and Gavin O’Connor’s “The Way Back”. This episode is as real as What Are You Watching gets.
Watch Alex and Nick's film, "I Am Alive," for free online.
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174: Licorice Pizza (2021) Commentary
Assassin’s focus. Gritted teeth and fixed bayonets. The “Licorice Pizza” commentary is here!
Hang out with Alex and Nick as they watch Paul Thomas Anderson’s love letter to LA. Stray topics include PTA/Haim music videos, favorite Haim albums/songs, Bradley Cooper’s career, Oscar chances for “One Battle After Another,” peanut butter sandwiches, and much more. “I’m coming, Nancy!”
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173: Saturday Night Fever (1977)
John Badham’s “Saturday Night Fever” is so much more than a fun disco movie. Alex and Nick break down the film’s hilarious dinner conversations, John Travolta’s thrilling dance scenes, and the movie’s unexpected sequences of real life.
Early in the episode, Alex shares his radical theory about “Pulp Fiction” that he’s been afraid to share for years.
Part 9 of the WAYW New Hollywood Film Project.
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172: Serpico (1973)
The WAYW New Hollywood Film Project continues with a ‘70s classic, Sidney Lumet’s “Serpico.” Alex and Nick discuss Al Pacino in his first starring role, Lumet’s 50-year career, police corruption, whistleblowers, roast beef sandwiches, the real Frank Serpico, the maniac who co-wrote the screenplay, and much more.
For WAYW, the guys briefly review new films from Benny Safdie, Guillermo del Toro, Richard Linklater, and Yorgos Lanthimos.
Part 8 of the WAYW New Hollywood Film Project.
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171: One Battle After Another (2025)
There are no spoilers in this episode. As Alex and Nick give their glowing review of Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another,” topics include attending an LA premiere, the film’s Oscar chances, Alex’s recent brush with death, Nick’s recent brush with death, Top 5 Leonardo DiCaprio performances, re-ranking PTA’s filmography, meeting Colin Farrell, and much more.
For WAYW, the guys review new movies from Daniel Day-Lewis(!), Derek Cianfrance, Kathryn Bigelow, Luca Guadagnino, Rebecca Miller, Paul Greengrass, Edward Berger, and more.
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170: Shampoo (1975)
“Hey, listen, baby, I'm a star.” Alex and Nick discuss the ‘70s hangout movie masterpiece, “Shampoo.” Alex explains why star/writer/producer Warren Beatty set the film on Election Day 1968, before the guys break down the film’s production design, costumes, and hair, the unique charms of Julie Christie, Goldie Hawn, and Jack Warden, how the great Lee Grant was blacklisted from Hollywood and came back to win an Academy Award for the film, and much more.
Part 7 of the WAYW New Hollywood Film Project.
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169: Remembering Robert Redford
Alex looks back at the 60-year career of Robert Redford. Topics include Redford’s best acting performances, his Oscar-winning directing work, the meme to end all memes, and how he helped start the careers of many of the best film directors working today.
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168: Chinatown (1974)
“Well, to tell ya the truth, I lied a little.” Alex and Nick break down one of the essential films of the New Hollywood movement, Roman Polanski’s “Chinatown.” The guys discuss their favorite Jack Nicholson performances, Polanski’s infamous career, Faye Dunaway’s disturbing performance, John Huston as one of the best movie villains of all time, Robert Towne writing one of the best screenplays of all time, and much more.
Part 6 of the WAYW New Hollywood Film Project.
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167: Top 10 Films of 1996
This episode begins with some spoiler-free 2025 movie news and reviews, before Alex and Nick dive into their favorite films of 1996 (23:19). Topics include Leo as Romeo, Depp as Dead Man, Frances as Marge, (maybe) the best action film of all time, the movie that changed horror, the indies everyone talked about, new and old tattoos, and much more.
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166: High and Low/Highest 2 Lowest (1963/2025)
There are no spoilers in this episode. Alex breaks down the opening segment of Akira Kurosawa’s masterpiece, “High and Low,” before bringing Nick on to review Spike Lee’s remake, “Highest 2 Lowest.” The guys discuss Spike’s post-“Inside Man" career, seeing Denzel Washington in “Othello” on Broadway, other remakes of Kurosawa’s work, Matthew Libatique, Dean Winters, Jules Dassin, and much more.
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165: Deliverance (1972)
This is the weekend they didn’t play golf. Alex and Nick break down John Boorman’s masterpiece, “Deliverance.” The guys have an extended discussion on the horrifying attack sequence in the film, and the resulting impact it had on cinema and the culture. They also discuss Burt Reynolds’ breakout role, the film’s expert use of staging, how well Jon Voight plays drunk, Ned Beatty’s career, one of the most iconic music themes in movie history, and so much more.
Part 5 of the WAYW New Hollywood Film Project.
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164: Halloween (1978)
Alex is watching John Carpenter’s “Halloween” once a week for all of 2025. In the latest installment of the WAWY New Hollywood Film Project, Alex and Nick discuss Alex’s crazy challenge, the film’s use of sound, cinematography, and editing, why “Halloween” is their favorite horror film, and how in the hell John Carpenter was able to write, direct, and score one of the most iconic films ever made with very little money. Totally.
Part 4 of the WAYW New Hollywood Film Project.
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163: Steven Soderbergh
To celebrate five years of What Are You Watching, Alex and Nick discuss the most influential director of Alex’s life, Steven Soderbergh. Thirty-five movies, (at least) five career phases, a Palme d’Or, an Oscar, and an unparalleled work ethic all make Soderbergh an icon of modern cinema. Let’s go!
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162: F1: The Movie (2025)
Alex welcomes back Taylor Scott to the pod to review “F1: The Movie.” The guys discuss F1: The Sport, Brad Pitt, IMAX, favorite car racing movies, and more.
Later, the two have a wide-open What Are You Watching segment, anchored by Ridley Scott’s “Black Hawk Down.” Stray topics include Eric Bana, “Chopper,” favorite war movies, watching “Halloween” every week, watching “Dawson’s Creek” with your teenage daughter, “28 Years Later,” “Severance,” and much more.
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161: Anora (2024) Commentary
For this special episode, Alex invites new guest, Igor “Warrior” Nedvalyuk, on the pod to watch Sean Baker’s Best Picture-winning masterpiece, “Anora.” The guys discuss using movie quotes as a form of communication, Slavic culture, Sean Baker’s filmography, “Compartment No. 6,” “Casino,” "Glengarry Glen Ross," raves, Best Actress winner Mikey Madison, the film’s authenticity, and so much more.
Watch on Hulu right along with us!
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160: All That Jazz (1979)
It’s showtime, folks! As Alex and Nick break down Bob Fosse’s masterpiece, “All That Jazz,” the guys discuss Fosse’s career, autobiographical films, accepting death, Roy Scheider, “Fosse/Verdon,” the 1979 Oscars, “Vanilla Sky,” and much more.
At the end of the episode (01:33:24), Alex does a solo review of the “Mission: Impossible” film franchise, including spoiler-free thoughts on “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.”
Part 3 of the WAYW New Hollywood Film Project.
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159: Marathon Man (1976)
Is it safe? Alex and Nick break down one of the best paranoid thrillers ever, “Marathon Man.” Stray topics include the remarkable careers of Dustin Hoffman, Roy Scheider, Laurence Olivier, and William Devane, 1976 in film, John Schlesinger’s best movies, William Goldman’s brilliant source novel, watching “Jaws” for the first time, and debunking the infamous “Why don’t you try acting, darling?” story.
Part 2 of the WAYW New Hollywood Film Project.
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158: Five Easy Pieces (1970)
Welcome to the first official episode of the What Are You Watching New Hollywood Film Project, where we examine films of the New Hollywood era, with a primary focus on 1970s classics.
In this episode, Alex and Nick break down Bob Rafelson’s “Five Easy Pieces.” The guys discuss Rafelson’s career, BBS Productions, a struggling B-movie actor/writer/director named Jack Nicholson, Karen Black, The Monkees, chicken salad sandwiches, and one of the best endings in all of cinema.
Part 1 of the WAYW New Hollywood Film Project.
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157: Top 10 Films of 1997
Alex and Nick list their favorite films from the great movie year 1997. Topics include Matt and Ben writing their Oscar ticket, the six pack of Cusack, the genius of “L.A. Confidential,” Pam Grier not being nominated (!), and how a little movie called “Titanic” dominated pop culture for more than a year.
Would you like to know more?
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156: Remembering Gene Hackman
Alex has spent the past month watching every film the dearly departed Gene Hackman was in. In this solo episode, Alex looks back at Hackman’s career and highlights the dozens of legendary characters he played.
Rest in peace, Gene. We love you, we miss you.
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