Shifting Expectations

Only releasing 8 years ago The Avengers is the most recent film we will be watching and discussing this year. We mostly listen to Ryley nerd out about comic book movies, but we also explored the incredible and …

We don’t promise much to you, our listeners, here at ShiftingExpectations.com. But one thing we can promise you is that we will never try to eat …

This week’s film, Gone with the Wind, is no stranger to controversy. Both the highest grossing film of all time, when adjusted for inflation, and widely criticized for its rosy portrayal of slavery. Instead of steering …

For this episode we took a break from our list of essential films to just talk. We re-evaluate the movies we have watched so far, quiz Deepak on how …

War. Death. Horror. This week on Shifting Expectations we watched Francis Coppola’s 1979 war film Apocalypse Now. We explore both what the film has …

Murder! People are fascinated by it and this week we are discussing it as we explore the themes of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1954 film Rear Window. We debate the claim that the film is only popcorn entertainment and praise …

Common animation techniques used today would be unrecognizable to the pioneers of animation. This is perhaps in large part because of the success of …

This week we visit Middle Earth, the fantastical world created by J. R. R. Tolkien originally for his work titled “The Hobbit”. We explore the live …

In this mini episode we step aside from our list to talk about Black films. When making our list with our algorithm we realized there were some …

This week we enter the ring to discuss the 1976 movie Rocky. We try to decide what about the movie has made it withstand the test of time. We also compare the plot of the film to actor and writer Sylvester Stallone’s …

The 1976 film Network predicted so much of what is the reality of television and news media today it almost feels like scriptural prophecy. In this week’s episode we discuss what it got right about today’s new media …

In 1937 Disney astonished the world with Snow White, the first full length animated motion picture. After their success the animators took it upon …

Perhaps no other film has been the cause of so many people’s unfounded phobias more than Jaws. This week we explore the parallel between the 1975 film and the United States experience dealing with the Coronavirus …

This week we travel through the alternative history (past, present, and future) imagined by Stanley Kubrick in 2001: A Space Odyssey. We discuss this film without peers, how it was made and what it means. Special guest …

Director William Wyler would often joke that it took a Jew to make a good film about Christ. This episode we discuss Ben-Hur and try to determine it …

Lights! Camera! Music! This week we discuss what is perhaps the greatest musical of all time Singin’ in the Rain. We examine why its popularity …

Perhaps no filmmaker has had a greater impact on cinema than George Lucas. He was making waves in the film industry even before he made what is widely considered the most influential movie ever made: Star Wars. This …

Director Martin Scorsese and Actor Robert De Niro sometimes feel inseparable. Their working relationship began with Taxi Driver, this episode’s film. We talk about these two men and the depth and breadth of their …

The life of every American changed immediately and eternally on December 7th, 1941 when Pearl Harbor, Hawaii was attacked. Perhaps no film captures the sheer impact on the lives of the individual as the film we watched …

If I were to describe A Streetcar Named Desire with one word that word would be “Tension”. this film has tension in its diverse acting styles, …

This episode was re-uploaded due to errors in the original audio file. The episode was originally uploaded on March 19th, 2020.

After a week hiatus we return to your feed to discuss the fictitious life of Charles …

This week we talk about the film that was once intended to start a franchise to serve as the American equivalent of James Bond: Raiders of the Lost Ark. We explore the film and franchise and what impact they have …

This episode we talk about a recent film and the first on our list we were each able to see for the first time in theaters: The Dark Knight. We discuss the about the film’s immediate impact on the landscape of modern …

In part two of our celebration of romance, we discuss the film that created the romantic comedy genre: It Happened One Night. We talk about the …

Welcome to Part One of our two-part Valentine’s Day celebration. This week, we celebrate one of the most romantic movies of the modern era: James Cameron’s Titanic. We explore the structure of the movie, Titanic‘s many …

This week on Shifting Expectations, we examine a movie that takes the term “iconic” to a whole new level: The Wizard of Oz. We discuss the impact …

This week on Shifting Expectations, we talk about Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai. We discuss Kurosawa’s legacy and what makes the film a masterpiece. We also compare the various remakes Seven Samurai has received, and …

This week on Shifting Expectations we travel all the way to Isla Nublar to be among the first to visit Jurassic Park! We discuss the film’s stunning …

This week on Shifting Expectations: We visit the movie that won Jack Nicholson his first Oscar, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. We discuss how the …

On the first episode of Shifting Expectations, we talk about one of the most iconic films of all time: Casablanca. Featuring an interview with Walt Hickey (Numlock, Insider).

This year on Shifting Expectations, we will examine fifty must-see films. On this episode, we talk about how we hope it will go and pick which movies we’re most looking forward to.