October 13, 2025 marked the 75th anniversary of the premiere of the Oscar-winning classic All About Eve, which the Alternate Ending crew decided made for a perfect excuse to revisit one of the most remarkable face-offs between two evenly-matched masterpieces in cinema history. In this corner: Eve, the caustically witty dark comedy about backstabbing and ageism in the world of legitimate theater. In the far corner: Sunset Blvd., the lacerating film noir about madness and ageism in the world of motion pictures. Two of the medium's most iconic female lead performances, top-tier screenplays by two of Hollywood's most celebrated writers... even if the team can't pick a favorite, it's a pleasure just to get to luxuriate in the presence of these two icons. To discuss the highs and... higher highs of these two classics, Tim is joined by Cameron, and Brian, and not least Zev, whose idea this was in the first place. Before getting to the main showdown, Cameron shares her thoughts on the new must-see cinephile bait, Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another, Zev catches up with the must-see-somewhat-less DreamWorks Animation comedy Dog Man, and courtesy of Patreon supporter and regular podcast guest Andrew Milne, Tim gets a third perfect 10/10 masterwork to talk about, in the form of John Woo's 1989 action epic The Killer. Brian unfortunately wasn't able to catch up with a movie, as he's just out a stay at the hospital that's put him out of work for a few weeks. Help him out during this difficult time by visiting his GoFundMe page!
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Podcast Special: An Officer and a Spy
For this bonus episode of the Alternate Ending podcast, Tim is once again joined by film scholar Will Quade, author of the recent article "We Accuse: Antisemitism and Historical Remembrance in the Films of the Dreyfus Affair" published in The International Journal of the Image. They're here to discuss the remarkable path to distribution of the controversial 2019 Roman Polanski film An Officer and a Spy, which has only just received a North American release in the fall of 2025. Together, they explore questions of the conflicting politics driving the film's delayed release, the conflicting politics within the film itself, and the reasons why the film itself forces a reckoning with the complicated and unpleasant questions it raises.
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Your Movie Rocks: Magical Mystery Tour
Welcome to Your Movie Rocks, an Alternate Ending podcast hosted by Mandy Albert. For every episode, Mandy will watch a movie assigned by her guest host, followed by a lively discussion. There’s only one rule: no matter what the movie does to her, Mandy is only allowed to love it. For October's episode, Mandy is watching a movie about a bunch of people in funky costumes haunted by the specter of death: no, not a horror movie, the notorious 1967 Beatles fiasco Magical Mystery Tour, thanks to Beatles fan and regular Alternate Ending podcast guest Cameron Shaw. Together, Mandy and Cameron try to figure out what the hell was going on with this shoot, what the hell was going on with the Beatles, and really just what the hell was going on with the 1960s, while also contemplating the ineffable beauty of 16mm semi-professional cinematography. And Cameron finds time to share some deep lore about Tim's prehistory. Roll up, step right this way, and give it a listen!
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Spoiler Alert: The Long Walk
It's the fifth Tuesday of September, which means it's time for a special episode. And a dose of nostalgia, this time around, as we proudly announce our first Spoiler Alert episode in four years. If you listened to our September Preview, you know that Mandy, Brian, and Caleb were all very excited for the new Stephen King adaptation, The Long Walk. So the three of them decided to return to discuss that movie now that it's out and they've had a chance to see it. And not just that movie - they also have a great many thoughts on the novel it's based on, as well as the whole business of adapting King to film. Tread lightly if you haven't seen the movie or read the book, but this epic-length conversation - The Long Talk, if you will - covers a lot more ground than just this one story.
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October 2025 Movie Preview
As awards season revs up, we're faced with even more movies to talk about than usual, so in this episode, Tim, Brian, and Caleb have a lot of work ahead of them as they try to cover everything noteworthy opening in October. And there's even more to talk about than usual, since all three have quite a few movies they're genuinely excited to see, in a huge reverse from the previous nine months of the year. Along with some pessimism for some of the dodgier-looking Oscarbait, to even things out. Before the preview starts, Brian is amazed to see his corner of the word onscreen in the Netflix documentary Unknown Number: The High School Catfish, Caleb catches up with one of his previous most-anticipated titles, Twinless, and Tim takes an assignment from Patreon supporter Christophe Romain to finally track down 1999's Away with Words, the directorial debut of the great cinematographer Christopher Doyle.
Alternate Ending was formed when three friends realized they all shared a passion for movies. Our goal is to save you time and money by sharing our thoughts and recommendations on which movies to race to theaters for, which to watch at home and those to actively avoid.
What makes Alternate Ending different from other film podcasts? Well, we’re not 5 dudes in a room talking about our passion for Fight Club and Braveheart. We’re two dudes, and a lady, of which our tastes are quite varied. Rob, the film-school dropout, has seen an absurd amount of movies, and if we’re being honest, rounds out our Fight Club fan-base. Tim Brayton, our seasoned film critic, shares a more critical view of film, an appreciation for vintage cinema and perhaps limited-release movies that we might otherwise miss. Carrie, our casual movie-goer, reminds us all that cinema is in fact supposed to be fun and entertaining and that sometimes, just sometimes, happy endings are good.
Too many film sites cater to the same kind of audience, with one overwhelming voice in the writing, but what we treasure at Alternate Ending is diversity: diversity of opinion, diversity in belief about what film should do and how it should do it. We want to celebrate our different opinions, and celebrate yours as well.
This isn't a podcast for people who just want to talk about the latest hot new movies in theaters right this minute. This is a place for people who can't get to the theater until the third week a film is out; a place for people who just want to find something great to stream online after the kids have gone to sleep, a place for people whose favorite pastime is to grab a bunch of classic films on DVD from the library and watch them all weekend. It's a place that believes that every great movie is a wonderful new treasure, whether you see it the night of its premiere or fifty years later. It's a site about discovering good movies... one bad movie at a time.
Join us for our weekly review of movies worth seeing, worth avoiding and our Top 5 lists – and don’t forget to play along at www.alternateending.com.
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