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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
Jun 19, 2025
Jun 19, 2025
1hr 26 min
Ben and Chris come back around to Japanese cinema with a review of Nobuhiko Obayashi's 1989 film, Beijing Watermelon. While made considering Japan's and China's complicated history and produced coincidentally with the events of Tiananmen Square in 1989, Obayashi bends the rules of cinema once again to make a beautiful and non-political film about community, personal responsibility, and balance. With apparent influence from the likes of both Capra and Ozu, The Searchers discuss the vital nature of the in-between moments and the meaning of "home," a word that may describe Obayashi's oeuvre to a T.
Vinegar Syndrome's partner label Kani released Beijing Watermelon in 2024, and it can be found on Blu-ray HERE.
If you like what you heard, please rate us a 5/5 on Apple, Spotify, or Podbean, and review us on Apple. Submit your mailbags to us at thesearcherspodcast@gmail.com. We'll read both on air.
Follow us on Letterboxd.com if you'd like to see what we've recently watched and/or reviewed. Ben, Chris, & Kevin
Our episode catalogue: https://searchersfilmpodcast.podbean.com/
Jun 12, 2025
Jun 12, 2025
1hr 55 min
Kevin and Ben are joined by Letterboxd reviewer extraordinaire and friend of the pod Tyler to discuss the new Tom Cruise movie in an effort to save cinema once again. In addition to reviewing MI 8: The Final Reckoning, we discuss the Mission Impossible series as a whole, storytelling with mythology, artificial intelligence as of 2025, the future of cinema, and more. Your mission, should you choose to accept, is to sit back, mow the grass, commute to your workplace, or whatever it is that you do when you listen to a new edition of The Searchers Film Podcast. Thanks for listening, as always.
Find Tyler on LB, HERE.
Follow us on Letterboxd.com if you'd like to see what we've recently watched and/or reviewed. Ben, Chris, & Kevin
Our episode catalogue: https://searchersfilmpodcast.podbean.com/
Jun 4, 2025
May 21, 2025
May 21, 2025
59 min
In this episode, The Searchers dive into the 1964 French classic That Man from Rio, a film that blends action, comedy, and romance in the most improbable ways. Join us as we unpack Jean-Paul Belmondo’s irresistible charm as he embarks on a wild adventure through the streets of Rio de Janeiro. From stolen artifacts to high-flying stunts, this film has it all—and then some! But does its quirky blend of slapstick and suspense still hold up today? Tune in for a review that’s as fast-paced as Belmondo’s character himself, filled with surprises, laughs, and a little bit of nostalgia for the golden age of French action cinema.
This is the 1st of three episodes we'll be releasing focused on Jean-Paul Belmondo action films. If you like what you heard, please rate us a 5/5 on Apple, Spotify, or Podbean, and review us on Apple. Submit your mailbags to us at thesearcherspodcast@gmail.com. We'll read both on air.
Follow us on Letterboxd.com if you'd like to see what we've recently watched and/or reviewed. Ben, Chris, & Kevin
Our episode catalogue: https://searchersfilmpodcast.podbean.com/
May 15, 2025
May 15, 2025
1hr 7 min
Chris and Kevin take a detour this week into the icy grip of a Buffalo winter with Buffalo '66. Written, directed by, and starring Vincent Gallo, the film also features standout performances from Christina Ricci, Anjelica Huston, and Ben Gazzara. Gallo’s background as a painter, musician, and songwriter lends the film a unique, outsider sensibility—raw, personal, and unmistakably his. We’ll be back soon with a new episode. Thanks for listening.
If you like what you heard, please rate us a 5/5 on Apple, Spotify, or Podbean, and review us on Apple. Submit your mailbags to us at thesearcherspodcast@gmail.com. We'll read both on air.
Follow us on Letterboxd.com if you'd like to see what we've recently watched and/or reviewed. Ben, Chris, & Kevin
Our episode catalogue: https://searchersfilmpodcast.podbean.com/
Apr 30, 2025
Apr 30, 2025
1hr 35 sec
Kevin, Chris, and Ben finish off the "philosophical hitman" series with Wim Wenders' The American Friend (1977).
The Searchers will return to you next time with an episode on a Vincent Gallo film before diving into their next 3 episode arc. Thanks for listening, and we'll catch you in May!
If you like what you heard, please rate us a 5/5 on Apple, Spotify, or Podbean, and review us on Apple. Submit your mailbags to us at thesearcherspodcast@gmail.com. We'll read both on air.
Follow us on Letterboxd.com if you'd like to see what we've recently watched and/or reviewed. Ben, Chris, & Kevin
Our episode catalogue: https://searchersfilmpodcast.podbean.com/
Apr 23, 2025
Apr 23, 2025
1hr 4 min
The Searchers discuss the 2nd film in their philosophical hitman series, Crying Freeman starring Mark Dacascos. We discuss our thoughts on the film, the origins of the source material, and a few tangents are made. We'll be back soon with the 3rd and final entry, The American Friend. Enjoy!
Apr 4, 2025
Apr 4, 2025
56 min
For the first "Cinema Crusades" episode in two years, Chris and Ben discuss the recent deaths of Val Kilmer and Richard Norton. Of course, more movies are discussed as the pair pick apart their recent watches. As promised, Crying Freeman will be discussed on episode 88. Thanks for listening.
If you like what you heard, please rate us a 5/5 on Apple, Spotify, or Podbean, and review us on Apple. Submit your mailbags to us at thesearcherspodcast@gmail.com. We'll read both on air.
Follow us on Letterboxd.com if you'd like to see what we've recently watched and/or reviewed. Ben, Chris, & Kevin
Our episode catalogue: https://searchersfilmpodcast.podbean.com/