The Critics Club: Crashing Cannes 2025
Geoff and Jim (with David off enjoying some well-earned PTO) decide to crash the Cannes Film Festival—metaphorically, of course. Why should the French have all the fun deciding what counts as “cinema”?
From Spike Lee’s Highest to Lowest to Ari Aster’s pandemic-weird Eddington, the guys take you through their favorite (and least favorite) selections from this year’s festival. There’s plenty of film geekery, bold opinions, and maybe a rant or two about the Criterion Collection’s pricing model.
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Episode Breakdown
00:00 – Intro & Motivation
Why we’re talking about Cannes, the French origins of cinema, and why David isn’t here (probably protesting berets).
14:00 – So Many Categories, So Little Clarity
We untangle the madness: Palme d’Or, Un Certain Regard, Out of Competition, and more. Spoiler: some of them matter, most just sound fancy.
28:00 – The Out-of-Competition Darlings
From Spike Lee’s neo-noir NYC thriller to Simon Pegg’s latest cinematic gamble, we cover the buzziest films that aren’t even playing to win.
42:00 – In Competition: The Main Event
A rundown of our top picks from the actual contest. It Was Just an Accident isn’t just a title—it’s an Iranian political thriller with real-world consequences.
56:00 – Underdogs, Disappointments, and Debate Fuel
Who got snubbed, what got overhyped, and why The Phoenician Scheme might be Wes Anderson’s most Wes Anderson-y film ever (and not in a good way).
70:00 – Wrap-Up & Future Film Plans
Geoff and Jim yell about Criterion prices, dream about Fantastic Fest, and tease a new Critics Club mini-series that may or may not be called On the Spot.
Friends come and meet once a month at the Critics Club to discuss their favorite movies, tv shows, video games and much more. Some are more right than others, but that’s half the fun. Join Jim, David and Geoff as they duke it out over their latest opinions.
Tune in to our podcasts and read our lovely reviews at https://www.rantingmedia.com/
