Free Daily Podcast Summary
Critical Darlings: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Blank Check Productions
Welcome to Critical Darlings: a podcast about the movies everyone is talking about, one new release after another. Every week, critics Richard Lawson and Alison Willmore cover the latest film driving the conversation—from big summer blockbusters to festival favorites, buzzy streamers, and major awards contenders. Produced by Benjamin Frisch
Latest Episodes
The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
- 3 days ago1h 20m
“Primetime” Takes A Seat (With Jessica Kiang)
Heads up to listeners, this episode includes sensitive discussions of abuse due to the nature of the film. It's Primetime! The new Robert Pattinson vehicle is a neon-lit, morally murky movie about ratings and perversions of justice that serves as an astonishing acting showcase for Pattinson and costars Merritt Weaver and Skyler Gisondo . It's also a hit, and yet another feather in Pattinson's cap, after The Drama succeeded earlier this year, and with Dune III on the horizon. We're joined by the incredibly well-traveled Jessica Kiang of Variety and The Berlin Film Festival to discuss. We discuss the film, its unintended documentary companion piece Predators, the phenomenon of To Catch A Predator, and how all of that is filtered through this very slick film, the first narrative feature from director Lance Oppenheim. Next week, we'll be having a very measured discussion of the normal-looking film "Digger". Email us: CriticalDarlingsMailbag@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
- 1 weeks ago1h 1m
Bonus: The Festival Circuit Explained, And Our Fall Festival Trip Report
In this bonus episode: After a month of festival hopping, we're back in the studio to discuss the fall festival season, its big premieres, and paint a very rough picture of how award season is shaping up. But first, we take a question from the mailbag to demystify the fall festival circuit and how these giant star-studded events actually work. Email us! CriticalDarlingsMailbag@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
- 1 weeks ago1h 14m
"Resident Evil" Is How You Adapt A Video Game (With David Sims)
Conflict of interest disclosure: Critical Darlings is a fully owned subsidiary of The Umbrella Corporation. Today we're joined by David Sims of Blank Check and "friend of" one of this film's featured performers (Critical Darlings' Executive Producer) Griffin Newman, to discuss Zach Cregger's adaptation of the Resident Evil video game series. Resident Evil is Cregger's third triumph in a row, after Barbarian and Weapons, and captures the game series' campy but grotesque sensibility in a completely fresh way that's resonating with audiences, critics, and even the vast majority of gamers. We go deep on Resident Evil lore, whether Resident Evil 4 is the greatest game of all time, and how the movie's bullet-counting, rummaging-through-drawers set pieces manage to evoke the series without introducing any classic Resident Evil lore. We also get into the history of the Resident Evil film series, different approaches to video game adaptations, and whether this movie will usher in a new age of less literal game adaptations. Next week, it's lights, camera, Pattinson, with Primetime! Email us! CriticalDarlingsMailbag@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
- 2 weeks ago1h 35m
A Critical Darlings Mailbag
As Richard and Alison are jet-setting across Venice, Europe, and Toronto, North America, we bring to you a special pre-recorded mailbag, featuring your voicemails and questions! We get into our favorite end-credits songs; the IPs we'd love to see adapted; our imagined Oscar-worthy biopics; the festival circuit; the history of digital media; The Oscars, and much more. We also unlock new Richard and Alison lore, including Rent message boards, Mulder and Scully fanfic listservs, male weepies, and even more discussion of Empire Of Light. Next week, pull out your Umbrellas, because it's raining zombies in Zach Cregger's Resident Evil. You can still email us! CriticalDarlingsMailbag@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
- 3 weeks ago1h 23m
“Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma” And Video Store Nostalgia
Get your dipping sauces ready, it’s Jane Schoenbrun’s Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma! Starring Gillian Anderson and Hannah Einbinder, this meta horror picture goes to some very strange places that nonetheless right feel at home with Schoenbrun’s dreamy-sexy vision: a haunted summer camp, an underground eldritch video store, and an emotionally moving Counting Crows music video to name just a few. Though dripping in fountains of blood, the movie is also a sensitive depiction of sex and desire as refracted through Einbinder’s character’s obsession with the in-universe Camp Miasma. Camp Miasma is a past-its-prime, problematic horror franchise whose masters have now employed Einbinder's character, a young director, to create a “woke” reboot. She travels to the Pacific Northwest to meet the mysterious starlet of the first film, played by Anderson, who lives at the old campground, and both women unspool. Alison recently wrote a profile of Schoenbrun in Vulture, and has been immersed in their work for some time, including their upcoming novel. We’ll get into their trajectory from We’re All Going to the World’s Fair, to I Saw the TV Glow, to Camp Miasma, and discuss its extremely dense themes, it’s incredible centerpiece musical sequence, go long on the mystic veil of childhood video stores, and much more. Plus, five whole minutes of The Dog Stars! Next week, it’s mailbag time! Email us! CriticalDarlingsMailbag@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
- Sep 3, 20261h 26m
“Coyote Vs. Acme” And The Great Ketchup Rescue (With Connor Ratliff)
After an absurd and depressing attempt by David Zaslov to bury Coyote Vs. Acme, it’s finally in theaters. What’s more, it’s great, making WB’s attempts to shelve the movie for a tax write-off seem all the feckless. Rescued by the odd-duck distributor Ketchup Entertainment, the movie is a corporate satire and legal thriller about culpability and justice in a world stacked against the little guy—represented by the character of Wiley Coyote, and Will Forte, as Coyote’s ambulance-chasing attorney. Today we’re joined by Looney Tunes expert Connor Ratliff, of The George Lucas Talk Show, Connor Ratliff’s Presents The Acting Class, Dead Eyes, and more, to discuss the movie, its rocky history, and a great deal of Looney Tunes lore. We get into a history of Ketchup, the movie’s surprisingly heartfelt center, which Looney Tunes are MAGA, and get into a little behind-the-scenes discussion with the help from Connor, including some of the film’s notable absences, and Senator Elmer Fudd’s official political affiliation. Next week, we’re going to Camp Miasma! See you then. Email us! CriticalDarlingsMailbag@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
- Aug 27, 20261h 37m
“Tony” Or, Bourdain Begins (With Jaya Saxena)
Ey wanna leahn howta shuck an oystah? Jaya Saxena of the new, worker-owned food publication Ravenous, joins us to discuss Tony, the micro-biopic about a pipsqueak version of Anthony Bourdain learning to love food in Provincetown, Mass. From director Matt Johnson of Nirvana The Band The Show The Movie, and Blackberry, comes a fictionalized take on Bourdain’s early years. The script loosely covers about a chapter and a half from Bourdain’s hallowed Kitchen Confidential: the book that helped turn him from a working chef into one of the most important food writers in America. Bourdain’s reputation precedes him, but Tony largely sidesteps the mythology by downsizing Tony into a wannabe writer in need of a good ass-kicking. We discuss Bourdain, Kitchen Confidential, the allure of bad boys from greater Massachusetts, what exactly goes into a Lobster Thermidor, refillable ketchup bottles, and the movie’s depiction of drugs and suicide. Finally we get into our favorite food movies (Tampopo! Eat Drink Man Woman! Ratatouille!) and do our recommendations. Next week, watch for falling anvils, it’s Coyote Vs. Acme. Email us! CriticalDarlingsMailbag@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
- Aug 20, 20261h 38m
“The End Of Oak Street” Is Dino-mite (With Matt Singer)
Dinosaurs are back in business this week, with The End of Oak Street, an original blockbuster about shooting dinos in the face while getting chomped by various raptors, dactyls, and giant primordial snakes. We’re joined by Indiewire’s Matt Singer, host of Filmspotting: SVU, and author of the upcoming book Funny Business, to discuss the film, its blend of Amblin-influenced family filmmaking with director David Robert Mitchell’s acidic bite. The movie uses its familiar tropes to lull the audience into a lull before ripping those tropes apart, making the film stranger and darker than the marketing let on. Still, it’s been a hit with critics, if not with audiences at large. We discuss how the story unfolds, Ewan McGregor and Anne Hathaway’s performances, the joys of shooting raptors in the face, sad giant snake monsters, The Last House, and break down the ending and what the movie is really about—Climate change, maybe? We also get into JJ Abrams’ trajectory as the head of Bad Robot, which produced the film, the state of puzzle box film and TV, and finally do our recommendations. Next week, it’s lobster roll season, with the Anthony Bourdain biographical picture, Tony. Email us: criticaldarlingsmailbag@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Get Critical Darlings summaries in your inbox
Free AI-powered daily recaps. Key takeaways, quotes, and mentions — in a 5-minute read.
Get Free Summaries →Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.
You Might Also Like
Listeners also like.
The Big Picture
Film critics discuss essential movies, rankings, drafts, and awards season with deep analysis and curated lists.
The Rewatchables
Film enthusiasts analyze classic movies that remain popular through repeated viewings.
Unspooled
Two film enthusiasts analyze classic and contemporary movies, breaking down scenes, characters, and cultural impact.
Dear Movies, I Love You
Film enthusiasts discuss blockbusters and obscure cinema with enthusiasm, exploring movie culture through personal and critical perspectives.
Cinema Spectator
Discusses classic films from the cinematic canon to evaluate their relevance and entertainment value for modern, casual audiences.
Table Read
Hollywood actors perform acclaimed screenplays with cinematic sound design and immersive audio.
Breakfast All Day movie reviews
Film critics Christy Lemire and Alonso Duralde review movies and discuss film news weekly.
CineJourneys (master feed)
Aaron West and Jill Blake
Kermode & Mayo’s Take
Film and TV reviews with insights and discussions from critics Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo.
The Filmcast
Film critics and guests discuss recent movies, TV shows, and entertainment news with analysis and debate.
The Town with Matthew Belloni
A Hollywood insider explores the business and power dynamics behind movies, TV, and streaming with executives, dealmakers, and journalists.
HOLLYWOODLAND
Examines crimes connected to Hollywood figures and film history, from murders to conspiracies and scandals.
Mentions
Most frequently mentioned across all episodes.
People
Books
About Critical Darlings
Welcome to Critical Darlings: a podcast about the movies everyone is talking about, one new release after another. Every week, critics Richard Lawson and Alison Willmore cover the latest film driving the conversation—from big summer blockbusters to festival favorites, buzzy streamers, and major awards contenders. Produced by Benjamin Frisch
Customized Recaps
AI-powered recaps with compact key takeaways, quotes, and insights.
Straight to Your Inbox
Get key takeaways from Critical Darlings in a 5-minute read.
Save Hours Every Week
Stay current on your favorite podcasts without falling behind.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Podzilla's Critical Darlings daily summary?
It's a free AI-powered email that summarizes new episodes of Critical Darlings as soon as they're published. You get the key takeaways, notable quotes, and links & mentions — all in a quick read.
How does the Critical Darlings podcast summary work?
When a new episode drops, our AI transcribes and analyzes it, then generates a personalized summary tailored to your interests and profession. It's delivered to your inbox every morning.
Is this an official Critical Darlings product?
No. Podzilla is an independent service that summarizes publicly available podcast content. We're not affiliated with or endorsed by Blank Check Productions.
Can I get summaries of other podcasts too?
Absolutely! The free plan covers up to 3 podcasts. Upgrade to Pro for 15, or Premium for 50. Browse our full catalog at /podcasts.
How often does Critical Darlings release new episodes?
Critical Darlings publishes weekly. Our AI generates a summary within hours of each new episode.
What topics does Critical Darlings cover?
Critical Darlings covers topics including Culture, Film, Society & Culture, TV & Film, Film Reviews. Our AI identifies the specific themes in each episode and highlights what matters most to you.
Start getting Critical Darlings summaries tomorrow morning.
Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.
Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.