A careful, craft-minded response to a film that earns its restraint.
Movies and Us turns its Oscars prep toward The Voice of Hind Rajab, and Jennifer Han and Sarah Callan treat it as both a craft conversation and a moral reckoning.

Warm film criticism with an open heart.
Movies & Us is a generous movie-analysis show built around recent reviews, scene studies, interviews, and awards conversations. Jennifer Han and Sarah Callan often begin with affection and rapport, then move into the choices that make a film land emotionally.
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Movies & Us is a movie-analysis show that treats cinema as craft, memory, conversation, and emotional encounter. Its center is not hot-take speed. It is attention. Jennifer Han and Sarah Callan often begin with warmth, a little rapport, and a clear setup before moving into the film itself. From there, the talk tends to gather detail. A review might start with an IMDb-style premise, shift into one-sentence summaries, then slowly build toward why a scene, ending, character choice, or formal restraint worked. That rhythm gives the show room to be playful and precise at the same time. An episode on The Drama turns wedding-week chaos into a conversation about cringing, compulsion, and the pleasure of watching a fictional crash unfold. A Frame by Frame installment on Tár narrows the lens to the Juilliard lecture scene, asking why that single exchange feels so charged inside a film already full of sharp scenes. The Edge of Existence brings documentary form, place, and survival into view, then adds an interview with Aaron Wheeler about how the film came to life. The Voice of Hind Rajab shows the show at its most tender and grave, praising restraint, pacing, and the ethical choice to honor a family’s story without forcing extra spectacle onto tragedy. There is also room for fandom and community. Evan Bernstein’s appearance around Project Hail Mary foregrounds respectful disagreement, geek culture, and the value of keeping passionate audiences connected rather than combative. Awards episodes widen the circle, bringing Movie Archer voices together for reactions, surprises, gratitude, and affectionate argument. The show likes specific scenes. It also likes what those scenes do to people. That bridge between formal observation and honest feeling is its signature. Movies & Us works best for listeners who want film criticism that can talk about cinematography, pacing, and production design without pretending emotion is a lesser kind of evidence. It is earnest, conversational, and deeply invested in the ways movies become shared stories.
Made for: For film lovers who want thoughtful reviews, scene-level analysis, guest conversations, and awards reactions without icy critical distance. It especially suits listeners drawn to the emotional afterlife of movies.
What sets it apart: Movies & Us stands apart by letting personal response and craft analysis sit side by side. The show’s warmth is not a substitute for criticism; it is the route into sharper attention.
Movies & Us is a weekly gathering place filled with conversations about movies, stories, and connection. Our name sums it up: we’re all about movies and the powerful ways we can connect with each other and the world around us. This podcast is about all of us and our shared stories. Join us in conversations about movies and the stories that connect us!
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Movies & Us pairs attentive craft discussion with candid moral debate, giving film conversations warmth without surrendering specificity.
Jennifer Han and Sarah Callan turn movie reviewing into a generous argument between close observation and personal response. Their conversations move from individual films to Oscars predictions and reactions, often bringing in guests who can challenge or deepen the hosts'…
Smokey's dragged shoe gets a close reading; your Oscar ballot gets a sparring partner.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A careful, craft-minded response to a film that earns its restraint.
Movies and Us turns its Oscars prep toward The Voice of Hind Rajab, and Jennifer Han and Sarah Callan treat it as both a craft conversation and a moral reckoning.
A precise archive conversation on how black-and-white photography shapes a dystopian store's visual order.
After an Oscar win, Movies & Us returns to its archive for a conversation with Natalie and Alexander about the making of Two People Exchanging Saliva.
An affectionate archive interview on the Oscar-winning short film's overlooked artists and the bar built to hold them.
Movies & Us returns to an archive interview with Sam A. Davis after The Singers wins the Oscar, using the film's renewed attention to revisit the making of its central bar setting.
A warm Oscars roundtable that leans on chemistry, surprises, and a few awkward broadcast hiccups.
Movies & Us frames its Oscars reaction special as a warm group conversation, opening with Andrew's thanks before the talk turns to the night's biggest swings.
A quick, lively Oscar-predictions episode that keeps 18 categories moving with easy chemistry and pointed debate.
Movies & Us leans into its Oscar-prediction routine with a quick, playful pass through 18 categories. Jennifer Han and Sarah Callan keep each other moving, and the back-and-forth gives their hoped-for picks and their actual predictions a chance to land.
A warm 30th-anniversary rewatch where Smokey's car and Ezel's store hustle keep the laughs moving.
Movies & Us uses Friday's 30th anniversary as a reason to revisit a familiar comedy as personal history, with Jennifer Han and Sarah Callan joined by Pat and first-time guest Jaron for a conversation rooted in what the film has meant to them.
A sharp discussion of why imagined harm can attract more outrage than damage that actually happened.
Movies & Us approaches The Drama by asking who is allowed to be forgiven. Jennifer Han and Sarah Callan, joined by Alexis Gentry, stay close to the film's imbalance between Emma's teenage thinking, her later gun-control activism, and the people around her who frame harmful…


Mike Muncer and a different guest dissect two horror films per episode, by subgenre.




Hosts Jennifer Han and Sarah Callan celebrate the 30th anniversary of Friday (1995) with special guests Pat James and Jaron Harvey, two superfans who have watched the film countless times.
Alexis Gentry is back.
The hosts and guest Heather Stewart review Emerald Fennell's 2026 film adaptation of Wuthering Heights, discussing its anticipation and their reactions.
The hosts and guest Scott Cole discuss their first-time viewing experiences and review the 2003 Civil War film Cold Mountain as preparation for a collaboration episode.
The hosts interview Evan Bernstein about his podcast and review the film Project Hail Mary, focusing on respectful discussions in geek fandom.
This episode features a review and discussion of the film 'The Drama' with guest Alexis Gentry, exploring its deeper themes and nuances.
This episode analyzes the iconic Juilliard lecture scene from the 2022 film Tár, focusing on why it stands out and its significance within the movie.
This episode features a review and interview about the documentary 'The Edge of Existence,' discussing the film's themes and insights from director Aaron Wheeler.
The hosts discuss the 1995 crime film Heat as part of a friendly Oscar wager, exploring its significance and their personal anticipation for reviewing it.
Jennifer Han and Sarah Callan open Movies and Us on Oscars prep and then move into The Voice of Hind Rajab.
Andrew opens the Oscars reaction special with a thank-you to his team.
["Movies & Us returns to The Singers after the short film won an Oscar and the hosts moved the interview back to the top of the feed.", "Jennifer Han and Sarah Callan speak with Sam Davis, who they describe as the film's director, cinematographer, and editor.", "Davis traces the project to a short story, a viral Instagram subway performance by Mike Young, and a plan to cast real singers rather than actors.", "He also breaks down the bar set in Los Angeles, the close-up lighting, and the editing choices that turn separate conversations into a communal singing scene."]
Movies & Us pulls [From the Archives] Two People Exchanging Saliva back after the short won Best Live Action Short at the Oscars and was streaming on the New Yorker screening room on YouTube.
Movies & Us returns to its yearly Oscar prediction, desire, and wager conversation.
The hosts review the film Hamnet with guests Adam Fried and Nikko Caruso, discussing its emotional impact and their experiences at the Chicago International Film Festival.
The hosts and guests introduce themselves and prepare to review the 2025 mystery film 'Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery'.
The hosts and guests excitedly discuss and review Guillermo del Toro's 2025 film adaptation of Frankenstein.