playnext.fm

Metalcore Nerds: A Music Podcast About Pop Culture · Sean Mott

Top Ten Movies of 2025 w/ Nate Vickers

January 20, 2026·55 min·1 clip
The Long Walk is so fucking brutal - it's The Hunger Games Americanized where boys can't stop walking.
The hosts frame the episode as a movie countdown, and that format keeps things moving even when the opinions drift. They start with a movie that does action without feeling empty. The discussion likes how it keeps some of the story's emotional weight tucked inside the genre momentum, and the surprises are treated like real surprises instead of just plot mechanics. Plain action movies usually do not do much for them anymore, but this one works because it balances drama with the big swings. The character caught in the chaos becomes a big part of why the movie lands. Austin Butler's character gets singled out as someone who gets pulled into the mess, and Matt Smith's weird 90s punk energy gets a mention too. From there they jump to Hamnet. That shift gives the episode a sharp contrast between a rougher action movie and a literary awards contender. They record it the day after the Golden Globes, so the awards angle feels fresh. Hamnet's Golden Globes momentum comes up, including its drama win and Jesse Buckley's actress win, and they also note that it was still in theaters rather than streaming at the time. The film gets described through Shakespeare, his wife, and the family story around them. The third act is the part they seem most eager to talk about, landing as the point where the Hamlet material finally turns into something moving. Overall, the episode plays like a movie nerd hangout that keeps one foot in pop culture and one in fandom.

As heard by us

A loose, sharp countdown that argues for its picks without sounding rehearsed.

This episode moves from Caught Stealing, a bruising action movie with surprising moments, to Hamnet, which is discussed after the Golden Globes and treated as a moving, thought-provoking, and beautiful third act.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You want a laid-back movie-and-music hangout that starts with Caught Stealing, swings into Hamnet, and keeps the conversation moving.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →
Listen to the show on
Apple PodcastsSpotify
Play clips from this episodeMore from Metalcore Nerds: A Music Podcast About Pop Culture