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The Searchers podcast is the passion of three cinephiles who seek to guide you across the potentially overwhelming and untraversed regions of cinema. After a long day toiling through the grassy knolls, dry deserts, and rocky slabs, you deserve a break. Come on down and warm yourself by the fire, crack open a beer, and join us. New episodes every other week.
Episodes
7 days ago
7 days ago
Following John Candy: I Like Me and I Am Patrick Swayze, we’re on our third coverage of a documentary, peeps! This time an exploration of the life of not an actor, but an artist. An artist of sportsmanship, former NBA star, Jeremy Lin. It’s been over a decade since the film was released, but where has this hometown hero of Kevin’s been? It’s about time he takes a little journey with Chris and explore why his fellow Southern Californian and Torrance-born son left the NBA, the trials he’s faced to make it to one of the most lauded leagues in North America, and leading up to his status during the 2012-2014 era of playing for the Houston Rockets. So if you love sports, especially the NBA, and underdog tales, Chris and Kevin have a lil’ treat for y’all! Also, who’d all of you root for during the NBA Finals?? Are you Knicks fans? Spurs? There’s no hate here, we welcome you fellow hoop fans, so don’t you worry! Email us at thesearcherspodcast@gmail.com. PS-Send us some jerseys!
Submit your mailbags to us at thesearcherspodcast@gmail.com. Thank you.
Please rate us a 5/5, and review us on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us.
Follow us on Letterboxd.com if you'd like to see what we've recently watched. Ben, Chris, & Kevin
Our episode catalogue: https://searchersfilmpodcast.podbean.com/
Tuesday Jun 23, 2026
Tuesday Jun 23, 2026
THE SEARCHERS PODCAST! Having journeyed through 124 episodes of questions, conversations, rabbit holes, revelations, and the occasional detour into the absurd, Ben and Chris continue onward. Ever since they first set out, they have traveled the highways and byways of cinema—collecting stories, challenging assumptions, and learning about life to the fullest. Striding ahead into Episode 125, microphones at the ready, they continue forth, seeking kino wherever it may be found. And who knows!? Perhaps they're destined to uncover a long forgotten OVA that changes everything. Or... maybe not. Either way, the search continues!
Submit your mailbags to us at thesearcherspodcast@gmail.com. Thank you.
Please rate us a 5/5, and review us on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us.
Follow us on Letterboxd.com if you'd like to see what we've recently watched. Ben, Chris, & Kevin
Our episode catalogue: https://searchersfilmpodcast.podbean.com/
Tuesday Jun 16, 2026
Tuesday Jun 16, 2026
Long time listeners know that there are two Schitt’s Creek fans on this show and no, Kevin ain’t one of them, and apparently that needs to be fixed. It’s Ben and Chris! Yet, Kevin’s pick for this episode is a little charmer that stars Schitt’s Creek’s two leads, Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara! In an entry that is sort of a spiritual successor to our episodes reviewing John Candy: I Like Me and Only the Lonely, Chris and Kevin dive into this lesser known mockumentary, imbued with the spirit and talent of two other Second City Television stars and set in a humble city of small-town America where ambition, innocence, and silliness are all wrapped up in one package. Join us because this is a fun one!
Friday May 29, 2026
Friday May 29, 2026
In this episode, The Searchers hop aboard the Swayze Train as Chris and Ben dive into the 2019 documentary I Am Patrick Swayze and revisit the life, career, and legacy of one of Hollywood’s most magnetic stars. From Road House to Dirty Dancing and Ghost (and more), the guys reflect on the movies that made Swayze an icon and why his performances still resonate decades later. Along the way, they unpack the documentary’s most emotional moments, including stories from family, friends, and co-stars that reveal the driven, complicated, and deeply human man behind the fame. The conversation blends nostalgia, humor, and genuine appreciation for an actor who gave everything he had both on and off screen. Whether you’ve been a Swayze fan for years or are just discovering his work, this episode is a celebration of a larger-than-life talent whose impact still lingers in pop culture today.
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Our episode catalogue: https://searchersfilmpodcast.podbean.com/
Monday May 18, 2026
Monday May 18, 2026
Ben surprised both Kevin and Chris with his recent review decision: Arthur (1981). Let’s take a trip to when Christopher Cross’ hit, “Arthur’s Theme”, made its way through movie theatre speakers nationwide. This sweet comedy-drama set in the Big Apple’s confines, pitting the silly lampooned wiles of upper-class hollowness with the brash honesty of the blue-collar, just comes to depict a man-child’s growth to become a true man. An individual with wisdom and fortitude, as he’s now found someone to love, his heart caught between the moon and New York City.
Submit your mailbags to us at thesearcherspodcast@gmail.com. Thank you.
Please rate us a 5/5, and review us on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us.
Follow us on Letterboxd.com if you'd like to see what we've recently watched. Ben, Chris, & Kevin
Our episode catalogue: https://searchersfilmpodcast.podbean.com/
Saturday May 09, 2026
Saturday May 09, 2026
Ben is once again joined by John Grace from the Midnight Movie Cowboys to review Shogun's Shadow (1989), starring Ken Ogata and Sonny Chiba. The Searchers love to dig into foreign cinema, especially Japan's, so it was a no brainer. So what started as a listener request turned into another collab on obscure (ish) cinema, which is what we do here as you already know. We touch upon the film's 2022 Blu-ray release thanks to Shout Factory (now on GRUV), who were generous enough to post a free copy on their YouTube page: Here, for which we are most grateful. In addition, we discuss Toei's reputation for selling rights to films in the west, Sonny Chiba's career, Hong Kong action films, Corey Yuen, Hideo Gosha, Bruce Lee, and a whole lot more tangential topics. Does this Sonny Chiba film hold up? Did a horse explode during the production of this movie? Will Ben's mic ever truly work properly? Well.. Listen and find out!
Submit your mailbags to us at thesearcherspodcast@gmail.com. Thank you.
Please rate us a 5/5, and review us on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us.
Follow us on Letterboxd.com if you'd like to see what we've recently watched. Ben, Chris, & Kevin
Our episode catalogue: https://searchersfilmpodcast.podbean.com/
Tuesday Apr 21, 2026
Tuesday Apr 21, 2026
We’ve covered our fair share of recent releases over the past few years, but 2025 has been selective—only Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning and John Candy: I Like Me have made the cut so far. So today, we return to another standout from last year. Starring Daniel Day-Lewis in his long-awaited return after seven years away from the screen, and directed by his son Ronan Day-Lewis in his debut, Anemone is a meditative exploration of prayer, pain, silence, and reconciliation. At its core, the film traces a fractured father-son relationship shaped by internal suffering, yet still reaching—however distantly—toward hope.
Joined by returning guest Tyler, we dive deep into the film’s layered influences and ideas: echoes of The Searchers, threads of Greek and Egyptian tragedy, shades of Andrei Tarkovsky, and the meta-text of a real-life father-son duo bringing this story to life. We also explore themes of paternal and fraternal order, the weight of legacy, and the quiet epiphany of fading archetypes. And yes… we ask the important question: does he drink our milkshake (again)?
Tuesday Apr 07, 2026
Tuesday Apr 07, 2026
The Searchers are again joined by Mr. Nick Langdon to discuss a Around the World in 80 Days starring Jackie Chan. This entry in the ‘Misunderstood’ mini-arc was of course chosen by Mr. Kevin Chan.
In this Searchers episode, the group revisits this 2004 globe-trotting adventure to unpack its blend of steampunk (CGI) spectacle, Chan's Western style slapstick comedy, and Steve Cooganisms, and it is no surprise also martial arts flair. Is this loose adaptation of the classic story unfairly dismissed, or does it struggle to find its identity amid tonal chaos and star-powered cameos? Along the way, we dig into Chan’s Hollywood era, the film’s ambitious production, and whether its playful energy outweighs its narrative detours. Join us as we race against the clock, circle the world (literally with our 3 spread-out time zones), and decide if this often-overlooked blockbuster deserves a second look.
Please rate us a 5/5 on Apple, Spotify, or Podbean, and review us on Apple. We luv yew baybee, as Jackie would say.
Our episode catalogue: https://searchersfilmpodcast.podbean.com/