The Batman (2022) with Matt Stevens

Matt Stevens, designer and illustrator, talks about The Batman, a unique take on the Bruce Wayne and Batman mythology brought to life by Matt Reeves and starring Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Jeffrey Wright, Colin Farrell, Paul Dano, and Andy Serkis. This 2022 version has less of the comic-y qualities that Joel Schumacher instilled in the 90s versions, but has a gritty, frightening ambiance closer to David Fincher's Se7en. In addition to The Batman, Stevens also talks about Good Movies as Old Books which reimagines movies as book covers.

Jaws (1975) with Lisa Lake

Jaws, directed by Steven Spielberg, turns 50 this month. Chief Brody, played by Roy Scheider, is pulled in multiple directions after a fatal shark attack, and subsequent murders, none of which the town’s local leaders take seriously. When Hooper, played by Richard Dreyfuss, comes into the picture, the two of them unite with the hope of getting to the bottom of the situation, with factual, scientific accuracy in mind. Hooper and Brody as outsiders, not locals, eventually team up with Robert Shaw’s Quint to hunt down the shark, and end the terror. Lisa Lake, a killer designer, awesome photographer, and drone pilot, vividly remembers seeing Jaws in the theatre and hadn’t seen it since then, but she re-watched it for this episode.

Challengers (2024) with Erin Prus [more thoughts]

Erin Prus, a design leader living in the heart of the Midwest, focuses on the ways words, and their systems and styles, shape design, along with UI design elements, accessibility, and more. Erin shares more thoughts about Challengers, starring Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O'Connor, analyzing its romance, conflicts, parenting scenes, memorable action on the tennis court, compression of time and flashbacks, sponsorships, and also, how Applebee’s factors into the story.

Pee-wee as Himself (2025) review

The HBO Original two-part documentary Pee-wee as Himself, directed by Matt Wolf, debuts Friday, May 23 (8pm ET) with both parts airing back-to-back on HBO and available to stream on Max.

Challengers (2024) with Erin Prus

Erin Prus is a design leader living in the heart of the Midwest, focuses on the ways words (and their systems and styles) shape design, and impact UI design elements, accessibility, and more. She returns to the show to talk about Challengers, directed by Luca Guadagnino and written by Justin Kuritzkes, starring Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O'Connor. Is Challengers the horniest tennis movies ever? What about the sweaty, rainy scenes? And how does it compare to 9 1/2 Weeks or Basic Instinct?

Pump Up the Volume (1990) with Ian Smile [more thoughts]

Pump Up the Volume stars Christian Slater as a high schooler who moonlights as an underground radio personality. In addition to the movie, Ian Smile talks about music, media, craft, and the importance of messaging and content.

Pump Up the Volume (1990) with Ian Smile

Throughout his career, Ian Smile has been a graphic designer, creative director, community builder, and is currently a principal UX designer building digital products for media management and distribution for pro sports & entertainment industries. Ian and I discuss Pump Up the Volume, starring Christian Slater as a high schooler who moonlights as an underground radio personality, he's a voice for the students and somebody they relate to, even look up to. We also talk about Generation X, the punk ethos, and old school media.

Pee-wee as Himself [Jason monologuing]

HBO’s trailer for Pee-wee as Himself recently debuted, a walk down memory lane, full of familiar faces, funny stories, and some hard truths. The two-part TV series debuts May 2025.

Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985) with Ben Shown

Ben Shown is equal parts design nerd and creative mentor, bringing a playful curiosity to complex challenges and a love of user-centered everything. As Head of Design at Blink UX, he helps shape the vision for industry giants like Amazon, Expedia, Microsoft, NASA, and The New York Times. When it comes to movies, Ben considers Pee-wee’s Big Adventure a North Star, a pillar, and for all the right reasons. It has comedy, drama, surprise, shock, whimsy, and even some horror, with memorable scenes and quotable lines that to this day are iconic.

Death and Taxes [Jason monologuing]

Benjamin Franklin famously wrote, “In this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” When it comes to movies about taxes, finance, banking, scheming, bros, lying, corruption, cheating, and selling, here are a few of my favorites, from comedies to dramas, to the completely outrageous and obscene.

Midnight Run (1988) with Bill Childs

Accomplished marketing leader Bill Childs comes back to the show. After thirty years of working as a graphic designer, copywriter, art director, illustrator, marketing director, and creative director, Bill shares his insights in the book Childs Play which serves as a field guide for anyone who works creatively, or manages people who work in a creative capacity. Bill talks about why the high-octane comedy Midnight Run is a perfect movie, from Grodin’s improvisations to De Niro’s commitment to the character, with Yaphet Kotto, John Ashton, Dennis Farina, Joe Pantoliano, and Philip Baker Hall in supporting and memorable roles.

Val Kilmer on my mind [Jason monologuing]

Thankful for Val Kilmer and all the wonderful work he did, especially 2010’s MacGruber which helped me get through some dark times during 2020’s COVID lockdown.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986) with Noah Smith

Noah Smith is a multidisciplinary visual storyteller specializing in UX design. With a background in film, Noah’s also a big, big fan of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, the 1986 comedy that’s also full of action, drama, and sprawling musical numbers. Ferris, an extremely popular teenager, skips school and with his best friend Cameron and his girlfriend Sloane, they embark on a series of adventures. What about the possibility of Ferris being a figment of Cameron’s imagination, the so-called Fight Club theory? And how does Ferris connect to Spider-Man? Plus, the movie’s small but memorable baseball moments make it perfect for the month of March and Major League Baseball’s season openers.

The Bad and the Beautiful (1952) with F. Ron Miller

Based in Los Angeles, California, F. Ron Miller has designed numerous movie posters and title sequences, as well as an impressive number of covers for The Criterion Collection, who releases important classic and contemporary films. Ron’s always been a big fan of The Bad and the Beautiful, starring Kirk Douglas, Lana Turner, and Elaine Stewart. It tells the story of a ruthless producer played by Kirk Douglas, who works tirelessly to reach the top of the Hollywood system with no care for how others get left in the dust. We also talk about movies that are about making movies, David Lynch, Citizen Kane, as well as imposter syndrome, how designers work, design magazines, design culture, and design history.

Anora (2024) with Erin Prus [more thoughts]

Erin Prus recorded the initial Anora episode, Part 1, January 2025 when the movie had already earned plenty of accolades. Weeks later, in February 2025 with even more news swirling about the movie and Oscar buzz, this follow-up episode was recorded. Is the controversy surrounding the movie, which did not have an intimacy coordinator on set, worth debating over? Does it make the movie better, or worse? Does it make Anora, as a work of art, a bolder creative act? Are comparisons to the Julia Roberts and Richard Gere romantic comedy Pretty Woman appropriate? Plus, we discuss stunt coordinators, sports cars, the Madonna-whore concept, and the 2016-2022 HBO series Westworld.

Anora (2024) with Erin Prus

Erin Prus is a design leader living in the heart of the Midwest, focused on the ways words (and their systems and styles) shape design, along with UI design elements, accessibility, and more. Her experience spans copywriting in advertising; short and long form in publishing; editorial, brand-building, and big healthcare. She sees her love of language at the center of many design experiences. Erin shared her thoughts on Anora, in an episode recorded well before the Oscars, where the movie won many statues. Sean Baker’s movie tells the story of an exotic dancer from Brooklyn, she is also an escort. Anora, who goes by Ani, meets a young, wealthy Russian boy but their romance and subsequent marriage go from Cinderella story to a maelstrom of unfortunate events.

The Princess Bride (1987) with Mónica Malavé

Mónica Malavé is a marketing and branding strategist, and CEO of Elevate It Now. Originally from Puerto Rico, she has a passion for design, marketing, and all things creative and is a big believer in “people helping people.” Her specialties include branding, social media management, technical and creative marketing, and innovative marketing strategies. She’s an Adobe Express Ambassador and also a Marketing Mentor with the American Marketing Association, DC Chapter. A big fan of movies, including but not limited to 2015’s Cinderella, Michael Keaton movies like Mr. Mom, Johnny Dangerously, and Batman, she suggested we discuss The Princess Bride, a true gem of a movie.

Purple Rain (1984) with Tony Best

Art historian and design historian Tony Best knows visual culture and as president of Sunset & Madison LLC, a research-based communications firm, his work is rooted in creative services management, archival practices, and mass media studies. Tony suggested a couple of movies to discuss, but ultimately landed on Purple Rain. Prince is The Kid, a young musician facing challenges at home, he strives to be the best artist, the best possible musician that he can, no matter the distractions. If you grew up in the 80s, then you know the music, featuring Prince and the Revolution, The Time and Apollonia 6. On March 5th, 2025, theaters around the country re-release Purple Rain for one night only, an exclusive Dolby Cinema Engagement with visuals and audio that improve upon the 40th anniversary edition from May 2024.

Moonlight Bonus Memories with Silas Munro

Silas Munro and I had a lot to talk about when we discussed 2016’s Moonlight, and this bonus episode has even more. Family, friends, spending time together, enjoying a meal together, and preparing a meal, as well as swimming, all play a pivotal role in the movie. In this short bonus episode, Silas talks about the importance of food and family in his own life.

Moonlight (2016) with Silas Munro

Silas Munro is a designer, artist, writer, researcher, curator, and surfer. He founded the design studio Polymode, based in Los Angeles and Raleigh, that works with clients across cultural spheres. He’s also curator and author of Strikethrough: Typographic Messages of Protest at Letterform Archive in 2022-2023 and contributor to W. E. B. Du Bois’s Data Portraits: Visualizing Black America. He co-authored the first BIPOC-centered design history course, Black Design in America: African Americans and the African Diaspora in Graphic Design 19th-21st Century. Silas talks about the Academy Award Winning movie, Moonlight, discussing not only the Oscar blunder but also the movie’s sights, sounds, actions, and emotions, from the use of lighting and music to the hero’s journey. We see a young boy, Chiron, facing challenges and obstacles in school, mentored by Juan who takes the boy under his wings. Composed of multiple acts, we witness Chiron grow into adulthood and reunite with his long lost love, Kevin.