472 episodes listed below
One movie, two very different sets of ears.
Paul James and Josh Knapp break down films they have just seen, one from a performer's instincts and one from a technician's ear. The conversation is fast, friendly, and argumentative in the way old friends argue, circling a movie until the reason behind the reaction shows up.
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Two friends, one movie, and a running argument about why it worked. That is the shape of nearly every episode. Paul James introduces himself as the actor. Josh Knapp introduces himself as the broadcast engineer. The intro is identical every episode, which they have joked about on air, and it functions as a starting pistol rather than a formality. From there the pair drop straight into whatever they just watched. The split in expertise is the engine of the show. One voice tends to notice what a performer is doing with a pause or a look. The other tracks sound, structure, and craft, and both keep testing each other's claims with better examples. Recent episodes have covered Sentimental Value, the Joachim Trier film they connect back to The Worst Person in the World and Renate Reinsve, and the conversation there turns unusually personal as one host tries to explain why a movie he loved did not linger the way great ones usually do. The F1 episode is pure enthusiasm, with an admission of total partiality and a plan to catch it on the big screen before the Oscars. No Other Choice brings a Park Chan-wook adaptation of Donald Westlake's 1997 novel The Axe, seen at an early screening with a post-film conversation featuring the director and Lee Byung-hun. Marty Supreme prompts a tangent about the Safdie brothers working separately for the first time in years, and about one host logging 152 films in a year with Philip Seymour Hoffman topping his most-watched list. Quick Cuts episodes move faster, stacking several titles into one sitting, including notes on watching a film in black and white and a swing back through Eighties movies and Materialists. The annual Oscarcast, running for around eleven years, works through original screenplay, the acting categories, director, and picture, with plenty of disagreement about whether the Oscars spread awards to films they want people to see. Pulp Fiction surfaces as the case study in that debate. What holds all of it together is a willingness to think out loud. Sentences run on, get amended halfway, and land somewhere sharper than where they started. Shared film literacy is assumed, so the pair skip the plot recap and go for the specific reaction. Disagreements turn into joint analysis instead of point-scoring. It is a long-running, unhurried listen for people who like hearing a movie taken apart carefully by two people who genuinely enjoy each other's company.
Made for: Film obsessives who track new releases, awards season, and directors like Park Chan-wook, Joachim Trier, and the Safdies, and who keep a running watchlist of their own. Best suited to listeners who want detailed conversation about craft and performance rather than plot summaries or ratings.
What sets it apart: The actor-and-engineer split is real rather than branding: performance instincts and technical listening get applied to the same film in the same conversation. Over 400 episodes and more than a decade of annual Oscar picks give the pair a shared shorthand that most film shows never build.
This is a film podcast by two people that come at movies from different angles. Paul is a trained actor and Josh is a broadcast engineer. They have lively conversations about all aspects of old and new films: technical, emotional, acting, directing, writing, music, special effects, and more. Check out the website at www.actorandengineer.com and email [email protected].
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Paul James and Josh Knapp make film craft legible by comparing emotional response, technical choices, and the evidence visible on screen.
Paul James and Josh Knapp turn film criticism into an open-ended working conversation, testing first impressions against performance choices, visual construction, music, and the demands of adaptation.
Paul and Josh disagree about Frankenstein's emotional pull, and suddenly your second viewing has a job.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A loose, thoughtful Quick Cuts conversation turns viewing instincts into sharper judgments.
Paul James and Josh Knapp shape Quick Cuts as a month-in-review conversation about what they have been watching, moving from TV and the Beatles anthology to Materialists and later thoughts on the tonal strangeness of Jake Kelly.
A loose, thoughtful Frankenstein discussion about acting, acceptance, and the value of watching a film twice.
This PlayNext single-episode review opens on Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein with a bit of red-shirt banter and Paul James admitting he expected not to care, then eases into a sharper back-and-forth about what landed and what did not.
A generous, uncertain conversation about Bugonia's mysteries, emotional weight, and chaotic score.
Paul James and Josh Knapp meet Yorgos Lanthimos' Bugonia from different angles of uncertainty. Paul is left sad and unsure what the filmmakers want him to take from it, while Josh keeps working through the movie's stranger ideas about addiction, sickness, DNA, and communication.
A lively film-craft discussion of Paul Thomas Anderson's collaborators, a singular chase sequence, and the editing choices behind a 70mm film.
The Actor and The Engineer Podcast has Paul James and Josh Knapp using a Paul Thomas Anderson movie as a way into Anderson's working habits, especially the creative choices that make the film stand out to them.
A lively Dune Part Two discussion where sharp visual details keep the post-screening energy going.
The Actor and the Engineer revisits Dune Part Two with Paul James, Josh Knapp, and returning guest Justin Arner, framed here as the show's sci-fi guru.
A loose film check-in finds its best focus in Titane's pronunciation detour and Will Smith's King Richard performance.
Quick Cuts turns recent viewing into an easy, conversational check-in, with its strongest moments coming when a quick reaction opens into craft.
Paul and Josh host a 'Quick Cuts' episode discussing recent films without deep dives.
The hosts discuss their decision to do a top five list for 2024 instead of the usual top ten, and one host shares his experience directing a play for the first time.
Hosts Paul James and Josh Knapp are joined by returning guest Justin Arner to discuss Denis Villeneuve's Dune: Part Two.
Paul James and Josh Knapp review Steven Spielberg's Disclosure Day, his first film since The Fabelmans in 2022, and open by crediting Janusz Kaminski's cinematography and Sarah Broshar's editing.
Paul and Josh discuss their Oscar predictions for the 2026 ceremony, starting with original screenplay nominees.
Paul and Josh discuss their excitement for the F1 movie and its upcoming re-release before the Oscars.
Paul and Josh discuss the Norwegian film 'Sentimental Value' by Joachim Trier, praising its play-like structure and emotional depth despite initial skepticism.
Paul and Josh discuss Park Chan-wook's new film adaptation of Donald Westlake's novel 'The Axe', sharing their excitement from an early screening and Q&A.
Paul and Josh discuss Josh Safdie's new film Marty Supreme, his first without brother Benny, and compare it to their previous works.
Paul James and Josh Knapp run a 'quick cuts' catch-up episode covering everything they've watched recently, from the remastered Beatles Anthology and Apple TV's Pluribus to Adolescence, where they single out Stephen Graham's and Owen Cooper's Emmy-winning performances.
Paul James and Josh Knapp review Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein, praising its practical sets, Jacob Elordi's monster, and Christoph Waltz's arrival mid-film, while debating whether Oscar Isaac is miscast as Dr.
The hosts frame Yorgos Lanthimos’s Bugonia as a sharper, more direct film than Kinds of Kindness, with Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, and Adrian Delbus driving the discussion.
Paul and Josh frame "One Battle After Another" as a Paul Thomas Anderson movie that feels visually and tonally different from his earlier films, even before Sean Penn appears.
The hosts discuss the movie Strange Darling, noting its 35mm film format and cast, with one host having seen the trailer and the other avoiding spoilers.
Paul and Josh discuss their theater experiences watching 'A Quiet Place: Day One', noting the audience's silence and the presence of young children.
Paul and Josh discuss their evolving appreciation of the Mad Max franchise, focusing on Fury Road and Furiosa.
The hosts and guest Justin Arner discuss their anticipation and initial thoughts on Dune Part 2, emphasizing the hype and theater experience.