Final Cut: Recent Episodes
Final Cut
Final Cut is a movie podcast hosted by Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar as part of the Rough Drafts Podcast Network. Every two weeks, Walter and Chase sit down to discuss a film that's caught their attention, for better and for worse.
On today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar are ready to ride with the newest disaster film, Twisters. Together, they discuss how this sequel builds on the original 1996 film, the strong chemistry between Daisy Edgar-Jones and Glen Powell, and whether the movie would have benefitted from more time spent on the supporting cast.
On today's episode of Final Cut, Walter "Ceades" Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar hit the road to discuss The Bikeriders. Together, they discuss the strong cast performances, the questionable choices around the film's framing, and whether or not the movie was able to accomplish what our co-hosts were hoping for.
On today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar ride their way into a podcast on Furiosa: A Mad Max Story. Together, they discuss how the film fits into the larger Mad Max franchise, how its chapter structure enhances the narrative, and how they processed some of the film's darker themes.
On today's special episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar are joined by special guest and friend of the pod Dani to discuss The Fall Guy, a film that deserved a better box office showing than it had. Together, they discuss whether Emily Blunt is underrated, Ryan Gosling's career arc, how the film undercut its potential with bad marketing decisions, and why films like this are still worth watching in theaters.
On today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar open the show with a detailed breakdown of the newly announced Hall of Legends and why they find Riot's approach severely disappointing. Then, the two move on to discuss the Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare and discuss whether being a "pleasant" experience is good enough to justify watching it.
On today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar check out Dev Patel's directorial debut Monkey Man and discuss which parts land, which punches get pulled, and what they hope to see in his next movie. Also, Chase praised Challengers while Walter condemns Civil War.
On today's very special episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar are joined by friends of the pod Justin and Sky to discuss Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. Together, they discuss the value of the human plotlines, why Mothra is the greatest kaiju of them all, and what is the "new empire" anyway?
Check out Sky's fantasy fiction podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tlt7hVrsclA
On today's special episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar are joined by special guest Kristen Pignuolo to discuss Jennifer Lopez's vanity project This Is Me...Now. Together, they discuss how the songs and choreography disappoint, how the film fails to honestly explore its source material, and why J Lo was always going to be a difficult protagonist to get behind.
On today's special episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar take a look at the delightfully terrible Madame Web. Together, they discuss why this movie exists (and whether it should exist in the first place), their favorite ridiculous moments, and whether or not they would recommend this objectively terrible film.
On today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar talk about Dune Part Two - the sequel to a film neither liked when Final Cut began - alongside friend of the pod and huge Dune fan Justin. Together, they discuss how the film compares to the books, what aspects were improved upon in the sequel compared to Part One, and why Walter still wasn't able to jump aboard the Dune hype train.
On today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar continue to sidestep the Oscars (after a brief aside from Chase on Anatomy of a Fall and American Fiction) to focus on films they've always wanted to show each other. This time, Chase introduces Walter to Sorry to Bother You, a deeply anti-capitalist film that takes some big swings with its ending, for better and for worse.
Our two cohosts couldn't agree on any Oscars films to watch this month, so after Chase Wassenar shares his thoughts on Past Lives and Poor Things, the two move on to Walter Fedczuk's pick for the month: the 1996 action film The Rock. Together, the two discuss where Nic Cage's performance ranks in his career pantheon, how Sean Connery improves every film he's in, and so, so many brilliant one liners.
On today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar turn their attention to The Iron Claw, a film that covers one of the most tragic stories in pro wrestling history. Together, they discuss how the film captures the 80s wrestling aesthetic, the strength of the acting performances throughout the film, and how they feel about Chris Von Erich being cut from the film. They also briefly talk about the Oscars and why Walter really isn't feeling it this year.
On today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar continue their Japan-themed month with Hayao Miyazaki's latest film, The Boy and the Heron. Together, they discuss their favorite animation sequences in the film, where the film ranks on the grounded to whimsy scale, and why Chase struggles with certain Miyazaki films.
On today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar start the new year looking at Godzilla Minus One. Together, they discuss what the film gets right that Western fans often miss, how the human and monster stories synergize well, and whether the film sticks the landing with its ending.
On this special holiday episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar are joined by special guest Justin Bunka to discuss John Woo's Silent Night. Together, they discuss how the lack of dialogue affects the film, how the film's pacing holds it back, and how the final scene amplifies the messaging issues found throughout the film.
On today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar turn their attention to the early 1800s with Ridley Scott's Napoleon. Together, they share their favorite iconic one liners from the film, bemoan some of the pacing choices made, and question what the heart of the film should have been if it was going to live up to its potential.
On today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar take a look at David Fincher's latest film, The Killer. Together, they discuss how the film deconstructs our typical movie hitman tropes, how nice it is to have Michael Fassbender back, and how the movie neatly marries its action and themes.
On today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar take a look at Martin Scorcese's 3.5 hour epic, Killers of the Flower Moon. Together, they discuss how the film expertly handles the plight of the Osage tribe, the highs and lows of acting performances across the cast, and their opposing thoughts about the film's ending.
On today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar turn their attention to The Creator, a film they wanted to like much more than they did. Together, they unmask the generic archetype structure that limits the film's narrative potential, share their frustrations on the film's lazy use of AI as a framing device, and discuss whether some good acting performances and worldbuilding choices can save the film.
On today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar turn a busy week into an opportunity to explore their new passion for Indian films by taking a look back at RRR. Together, they discuss the strong acting performances at the core of the film, their favorite action moments, and where the film's ideology hinders its potential.
Ritesh Babu's RRR article: https://www.vox.com/23220275/rrr-netflix-tollywood-hindutva-caste-system-oscars-2023
In today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar experience their first Bollywood film, Jawan. Together, they discuss the film's adherence to the Rule of Cool, how the film's politics enhance an already captivating presence, and why they want to watch more Shah Rukh Khan and Bollywood films moving forward.
On today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar check out DC's newest addition to their movie universe, Blue Beetle. Together, they discuss their previous connections to the character, how the film handles its core themes, and whether this film can separate itself from the "superhero fatigue" that's plagued recent films in the genre.
On today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar take a look at the latest Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film. Together, they discuss the film's iconic art style (film image), whether pop culture references take away from the final product, and how well the film handles its core themes given the target audience
On today's special episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk, Chase Wassenar and special guest Kristen Pignuolo conclude their two-part Barbieheimer journey. In this Oppenheimer episode, the crew discusses the film's issues around historical accuracy, how the writing and pacing helps and hurts the film, and how the film's sound design pays off with its iconic nuclear launch sequence.
On today's special episode of the Final Cut podcast, Walter Fedczuk, Chase Wassenar and special guest Kristen Pignuolo begin their two-part Barbieheimer journeys. In this Barbie episode, they discuss the role Barbie played in their childhoods, how the film makes the most of its fun premise, and why they all hope Barbie two explores the concept of gender after friend of the pod Ruby Layne shares some quick thoughts of their own.
On today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar delve back into the spy world to discuss the latest Mission Impossible film. Together, they discuss how the film weaves comedy into its action bits, the strength of its supporting cast, and why this being a "part one" film didn't hurt nearly as much as previous films they've discussed on the show.
On today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar go on one last adventure with Indiana Jones. Together, they discuss whether the CGI de-aging tech was worth the film's incredibly high budget, how the film's relationship with time helps and hurts the final product, and whether the ending twist stuck the landing as they closed out the Indiana Jones series for good (hopefully).
On today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar invited Eduardo Stückrath on to discuss the hit animated superhero film Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Together, they discuss whether the film's visual style lives up to the hype of the first film, how the film brings the thematic subtext of Spider-Man stories into the core of the film, and whether the abrupt cliffhanger ending hurts the film more than it helps.
Follow Eduardo on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stories/estuckrathv
On today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar are joined by two very special guests - professional costumer Kristen Carr and her partner & longtime friend of the pod Devin "Piratechnics" Younge - to discuss Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Together, they delve into Kristen's experience working on the film before taking a closer look at the film's strong emotional center and the mixed feelings at least one member has on the path they took to get there (bet you can guess who).
Check out Michael Fedczuk's work on The Perfect Match here: https://www.showtix4u.com/event-details/74332
Back from an unexpected hiatus, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar spend this Final Cut episode looking at Polite Society. Together, they discuss the British humor that permeates the film, how the film utilizes style to get the most out of its fight sequences, and whether the film's third act twist ultimately sticks the landing.
On today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar enjoy some high octane action with the latest entry in the John Wick franchise. Together, they discuss the strength of the supporting cast, their favorite action moments throughout the film, and what they hope to see from the franchise moving forward.
On today's special episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar are joined by special guest Ruby Layne - lead singer of Ruby Layne and the Wicked Divine - to discuss Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. Together, they discuss their expectations given previous D&D projects, how the film captures the dynamics of a campaign and the larger world, and which party members stood out as their favorites. They close by sharing their favorite D&D stories and whether they'd like to see more from the D&D universe.
Listen to Ruby's music: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3ok4zbm0EYrTBGhxF2SXxu?si=yF-0XzQ_QDC2iOMkbRlBTw
On today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar discuss Cocaine Bear. What more do you need to know? It's cocaine bear. You can probably figure out the list of topics on your own. Just enjoy the episode!
On today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar wrap up their pre-Oscars deep dive with Banshees of Inisherin. Together, they discuss the film's strong acting performances, how its core themes connect to the Irish Civil War, and whether the film was more clever than good. They close with some predictions for the 2023 Oscars.
In today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar jump into German bunkers as they watch All Quiet on the Western Front. Together, they discuss the film's portrayal of World War I and how well it handles the source material before they debate the merits of the war film genre.
In today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar take a close look at Best Picture nominee Triangle of Sadness. Together, they discuss a film that is essentially three films in one, how the film nails its dark comedic tone, and whether the film's pacing undermines its potential.
In today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar try to understand their harshly conflicting feelings about Tár, a film nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars with fierce fans and critics alike. Along the way, Walter tries to pinpoint where the movie lost him while Chase gets lost in Cate Blanchett's performance.
In today's episode of Final Cut, Chase Wassenar isn't able to watch their originally planned film in time, so Walter Fedczuk proposes the two watch Morbius instead. Both hosts come to regret this decision.
On today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar put on their detective swim trunks as they analyze Glass Onion, the latest movie in the Knives Out series. Together, they discuss their favorite members of the supporting cast, how the film utilizes the Glass Onion metaphor, and how this film stacks up when compared to the original.
In today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar turn their attention to a film with a concept that could only work with Nicolas Cage, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. Together, they discuss Nick Cage's chemistry with Pedro Pascal, whether the film lives up to its starting premise, and why you should probably skip the first fifteen minutes if you check it out for yourself.
On today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar take a deep dive into The Northman. Together, they discuss how the interesting connections and differences between it and its source material, how Robert Eggers' directorial style shines through the final product, and how the movie utilizes fate as a weapon against both Amleth and the viewer.
In this episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar look at the modern boxing movie classic Creed. Together, they discuss the film's parallels to the original Rocky film, how Creed handles its fight scenes, and the problematic element that arguably holds it back.
In today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar turn their attention to Entergalactic, a tv special that's totally not a film based on Kid Cudi's latest album. Together, the two discuss the film's animation style, what it means to be a "vibe" film, and whether it does more than serve as a series of visually interesting music videos.
In today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk gets revenge against Chase Wassenar as the two discuss Moonfall, a terrible film with an insane budget that wastes most of its time on things that do not matter. Together, they dissect what went wrong and whether the film is worth the time of "so bad it's good" movie lovers. Spoiler alert: it is not.
On today's episode of Final Cut, one of the foundational jokes of the Rough Drafts podcast is finally explored to its fullest.
On today’s episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar turn their attention to the film no one is talking about, 3,000 years of longing. Together, they discuss the on-screen chemistry between Idris Elba and Tilda Swinton, pick their favorite vignette from the film, and share the little details that helped the movie’s themes land successfully.
In a very special episode of Final Cut, Walter "Ceades" Fedczuk and Chase "RedShirtKing" Wassenar are joined by special guest Kristen Pignuolo to discuss the esports mockumentary Players. Together, they look at how closely the tv show adheres to the authentic League of Legends experience, the pros and cons of the season's pacing and structure, and the ending that caught our hosts completely by surprise. Then, Chase and Walter take a trip down memory lane and share their own esports memories as well as their hopes and fears for the future of the industry.
In today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar turn their attention to Bullet Train, an action film about fate and a particularly unlucky assassin. Together, they discuss the cast of colorful characters, the pros and cons of the film's stylistic choices, and a final sequence that makes for one hell of a ride.
On today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar discuss the last two Toy Story films: the one Walter mentioned on the last Final Cut episode and the one he actually wanted to talk about. Together, they discuss the thematic differences between the two films, why Toy Story 3 is untouchable in Chase's mind, and how much Toy Story 4 ultimately added to the series.
Content Warning: Sexual Assault
In today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar turn their attention to The Last Duel, a movie based on a true story but not the actual last duel. Together, they discuss the pros and cons of the film's structure, the strong performances from the cast, and the complicated way in which the film wrestles with the realities of sexual assault.
In today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk finally wears co-host Chase Wassenar down so they can turn their eyes to a critically acclaimed film beloved by MCU fans: Spider-Man: No Way Home. Together, they discuss a disjointed opening act, the incredible character performances from the returning members of the older films, and whether a bumpy journey was worth it to reach their ultimate destination.
In today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar travel back to 2021 to review a film that had previously caught their attention: The Green Knight. Together, they discuss the many differences between this version and the original Arthurian Legend, the striking cinematography, and one of the worst endings of any film they've reviewed for the podcast. Strap in, folks.
In today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar take a look at The Batman, the latest DC superhero film that's not part of the DC cinematic universe. Together, they discuss whether the film is quite as gritty as people claimed online, Robert Pattinson's take on Batman as a character, and how the final act of the film undermines everything the film was working toward.
On today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar wrap up their look at 2022 Oscar nominated films with Drive My Car. Together, they discuss their history with foreign films, the strong performances from the overall cast, how Drive My Car takes advantage of the play within the musical, and their opposing reactions to the movie's ending.
On today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar continue their journey through Oscar-nominated films with Spencer. Together, they discuss Kristen Stewart's incredible performance, a very cold supporting cast, and an incredibly blunt metaphor
In today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar look at Everything, Everywhere, All at Once, an ambitious film that lives up to its title in capturing the overwhelming nature of our current systems and manages to find hope amidst its nihlistic themes. Together, they discuss the movie's core philosophy, the script's creativity at turning throwaway jokes into much bigger set pieces, and how it reflects the current moment better than almost any movie in recent memory. We've got an early favorite for RD's 2022 Best Picture, folks.
In today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar turn their eyes to the Bakker family with a deep dive into The Eyes of Tammy Faye. Together, they discuss Jessica Chastain's Oscar-winning performance, uneven performances from the rest of the cast, and the script's refusal to wrestle with Tammy's complicity in the events that led to the Bakker family's downfall.
In today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar sit down to talk about Nightmare Alley, a film that earned a lot of praise from critics but struggled at the box office. Together, they discuss Guillermo del Toro's signature style, Cate Blanchett's scene-stealing performance, and some Oscars predictions that aged pretty okay, all things considered.
In today's very special episode of the Final Cut Podcast, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar team up with Devin "Piratechnics" Younge and Alex "Magical" Whieldon to discuss Arcane, the League of Legends-based animated series that won nine different awards at this weekend's Annie Awards. Together, they discuss Riot's historic approach to worldbuilding, their favorite moments from the series, and what they want to see from future projects in the LoL universe.
In today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar head into the magical realm of Disney's Encanto. Together, they discuss the movie's well executed depiction of Colombian culture, how Encanto nails difficult family dynamics, and some mixed opinions on the movie's soundtrack before turning their eyes towards the future of Disney's animated films.
In today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar take a look at Lana Wachowski's Matrix Resurrection, a sequel they never saw coming. Together, they discuss Wachowski's willingness to put her feelings on the film and its development at the forefront of the movie itself, the movie's difficult stance on psychiatry, and whether they'd be interested in a sequel given the film's open ending.
In today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar discuss James Gunn's signature style, fall in love with Ratcatcher and share their thoughts on the future of the DCEU.
On today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar sit down to discuss Power of the Dog, a film that has a strong shot at winning Best Picture at the Oscars this year. Together, they discuss the incredible acting performances throughout the cast, the movie's strong attention to detail, and uncover an important plot point that may or may not have been hiding in plain sight.
In today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar take a look at Netflix's The Harder They Fall, a fun Western with a talented ensemble and a bit of unrealized potential. Together, the two discuss the movie's incredible cast, outstanding soundtrack, and a plot that could have benefitted from a couple touch ups.
In today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar take a look at House of Gucci, a movie featuring a star-studded cast that mostly hits the mark. Together, they discuss Lady Gaga's iconic performance, Jared Leto's incredibly messy performance, and whether the movie's tone does its subject matter a disservice.
In today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar take a long look at Eternals, the latest (and one of the longest) entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Together, they discuss the twist everyone saw coming, the 'hero' that controls minds, the long term impact of the movie's events and the magic trick Marvel pulls with every post-credits scene.
In today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar break down their immense frustration with a 2.5 hour film that still only manages to be half a film. Together, they discuss narrative hiccups and power inconsistencies before asking themselves if they're willing to come back for Part Two.
In today's episode of Final Cut, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar discuss the latest entry in the James Bond series: No Time to Die. Together, the two discuss whether this is the best of the Daniel Craig Bond films, what it got right that Black Widow got wrong, and what they want to see next for the franchise.
In the latest episode of the Rough Drafts podcast, Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar discuss Black Widow, the MCU film that technically kicks off Phase 4, we guess. Together, they discuss their frustrations with the narrative, the acting performances that tried to carry the day, and what this movie was all about (if anything).
The Rough Drafts podcast returns! In Walter Fedczuk and Chase Wassenar's return to podcasting, the duo discusses Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Together, they talk about going back to the cinema for the first time, how Marvel weaves fantastical elements into their narratives, and what Shang-Chi's success means for the future of the MCU.