The Movie Group Chat

This week, The Movie Group Chat revisits Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York . Justin asks everyone to watch the movie from Bill the Butcher’s perspective , leading to a conversation about whether Daniel Day-Lewis is actually playing two versions of the same man: William Cutting underneath, and the larger-than-life Bill the Butcher persona he presents to the world. The guys also dig into what the movie says about America — immigration, class, corruption, violence, identity, and Jeremy’s biggest takeaway: progress is ugly. They debate whether this is some of Scorsese’s best work, where it ranks against Goodfellas , The Departed , Taxi Driver , and The Wolf of Wall Street , whether Leonardo DiCaprio was replaceable in the role of Amsterdam, and why Daniel Day-Lewis towers over nearly everyone around him. Plus Cameron Diaz, John C. Reilly, Christian Bale as a hypothetical Bill the Butcher, and a lot of terrible impressions. Where does Gangs of New York rank for you in Scorsese’s filmography? Join The Movie Group Chat.

Jeremy brings Ryan Coogler’s Sinners to The Movie Group Chat. On the surface, it’s a period vampire film starring Michael B. Jordan. Underneath, the group finds a much bigger conversation about freedom, identity, oppression, religion, music and what it means to choose your own path. Is every character in Sinners actually a sinner — or are they simply refusing to live by somebody else’s rules? The guys debate the meaning of the title, the sympathy we sometimes feel for the vampires, Remmick’s role as an oppressed person who becomes an oppressor, and how Ryan Coogler uses music to connect different cultures and generations. They also talk about Delroy Lindo’s unforgettable Delta Slim, Michael B. Jordan’s performance, the movie’s post-credit scene, and why Sinners may have become something even bigger than a great movie. Justin makes the case that it could be one of the most important films of the decade because it proved an original, R-rated, majority-Black theatrical movie could still become a major event — while Jeremy looks at the film as part of the larger fight to keep the theatrical moviegoing experience alive. And Chet argues that Sinners represents a watershed moment for filmmakers with singular voices: proof that audiences will still show up when filmmakers bet on something original. Is Sinners one of the defining movies of the 2020s — or did the hype go too far? Welcome to The Movie Group Chat .

Filmmaker Kenny Chang joins The Movie Group Chat and brings a classic with him: Pretty Woman . Kenny considers it a top-five — maybe even top-three — romantic comedy. But more than 35 years after its release, does the movie still work? And could the relationship between Vivian and Edward actually happen today? The conversation quickly turns to Julia Roberts and a bigger question: If Pretty Woman never happened, would she still have become one of the biggest movie stars in Hollywood? We break down Roberts’ magnetic performance, Richard Gere’s restraint opposite her, their nonverbal acting and chemistry, and why so much of the Julia Roberts we would eventually see throughout her career is already present in this performance. Then we debate where Gere belongs among the great rom-com leading men and whether Hollywood could still make a movie like Pretty Woman today. Before we get there, Kenny and Chet also take us inside the making of Piece of Chet and what can happen when filmmakers stop waiting for permission and simply make something with the resources they have. Where does Pretty Woman rank for you — and was Julia Roberts always going to become a movie star? Join the group chat and tell us what movie we should watch next.

Aaron “Brick” is finally back with The Movie Group Chat , and for his pick he brings How to Make a Killing —a dark comedy that somehow gets us rooting for Glen Powell while his character murders his way toward a family fortune. Brick is all-in on the movie and Glen Powell, but the rest of the group has questions. Is this an “eat the rich” movie? A satire? Or, as Chet puts it, a new genre of “Millennial Revenge” ? And what does the movie actually have to say about ambition, capitalism, morality, and the line between being a good person and simply doing what it takes to get ahead? We break down Glen Powell's undeniable movie-star charisma, Margaret Qualley's scene-stealing performance, Zach Woods' comedy, the film's tonal shifts, the controversial voiceover, and an ending that completely changes how we look at Beckett's journey. We also ask whether How to Make a Killing would have worked better as a miniseries—or whether spending more time with these characters would actually take away some of what makes them work. And by the end, one thing is pretty clear: Glen Powell is a movie star. Jeremy and Brick both come back to the idea that they'll watch just about anything he's in. Join The Movie Group Chat and tell us: Were you rooting for Beckett—or were we all completely insane for wanting him to win?

This week, the group chat is divided over Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice . Jeremy had fun. Chet thinks the movie deserved a shot in theaters. Justin… did not like it. We break down Vince Vaughn’s performance playing the same character at two different points in his life, the movie’s approach to time travel, its tonal swings between action and comedy, and whether movies like this are getting lost in the endless ocean of streaming content. Plus: Jimmy Tatro, Keith David, Gilmore Girls , old-school opening credits, what we’d actually do with a time machine, and why Vince Vaughn might be one of the most underrated comedic influences of his generation. Was this a missed theatrical opportunity or exactly where it belonged? Welcome to The Movie Group Chat .

We finally saw Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey — so we called an emergency Movie Group Chat. Jeremy, Justin, Chet, and Aaron break down the IMAX spectacle, Matt Damon’s Odysseus, the parallels to Oppenheimer , and the film’s deeper ideas about war, regret, forgiveness, family, and finding your way home. Plus: Athena, Penelope, the Sirens, our favorite scenes, Nolan’s filmmaking choices, and Jeremy’s completely unbiased perspective as someone who “worked with” Christopher Nolan on Oppenheimer . Join the club. Join the conversation.

Welcome back to The Movie Group Chat! This week, we're discussing John Carpenter's They Live (1988) starring Roddy Piper and Keith David . What begins as a cult sci-fi action film quickly turns into a conversation about consumerism, media, power, capitalism, social commentary, and why They Live feels more relevant today than when it was released. We also break down John Carpenter's direction, Roddy Piper's performance, the legendary alley fight, Keith David's unforgettable role, and one of cinema's most iconic one-liners. Plus, plenty of laughs, movie tangents, and the kind of conversations that only happen in a real group chat. Next week's movie: Mike and Nick and Nick and Alice (Hulu). Watch the movie, then join The Movie Group Chat . We believe in movies.

Welcome to the very first episode of The Movie Group Chat ! Every week, we pick a movie, watch it together, and dive into the conversations that start after the credits roll. In this episode, we're discussing First Reformed (2017) , directed by Paul Schrader and starring Ethan Hawke. What begins as a character study quickly evolves into a fascinating conversation about faith, activism, hope, despair, guilt, redemption, and the role of the Church in a changing world. We also break down: Ethan Hawke's phenomenal performance The film's symbolism and visual storytelling The controversial ending Our favorite scenes and biggest takeaways What we believe Paul Schrader is really asking the audience Plus, we share a few hilarious stories from Sundance before announcing next week's movie: They Live (1988) by John Carpenter. Watch the movie, join the conversation, and become part of The Movie Group Chat . Because we believe in movies.