Shifting Expectations

This week we get lost in Pan’s Labyrinth. We debate if it deserves a spot on our list and if it is even a good movie. We also discuss the differences between low and high fantasy.

Next we will bare witness to …

This week we watched the 1964 film adapted from a 1956 Broadway play that was a musical version of a 1913 play that was also made into a movie in 1938 and itself was based on a Greek myth from book 10 of Ovid‘s …

This week 3 hardly combative podcasters disagree about 12 Angry Men. We examine the progress of the American justice system while acknowledging the …

Only one of the fifty films featured in this season of Shifting Expectations qualified for discussion via all five of our qualifying categories. This week we discuss that film, The Godfather. We explore its merits and …

This week we are watching the final animated film to be featured on this season of Shifting Expectations. Discussing Spirited Away is a challenge and a pleasure. We try to describe the beauty of the story and …

The wild world of insurance is not often the set piece for Hollywood movies, but if Double Indemnity is any indication perhaps it should be more …

The hills are alive! This week we explore one of the 11 films to hold the title of Highest Grossing Film of all time: The Sound of Music. We attempt …

The Academy Awards might not matter but they give s a measuring stick by which to compare films. And few films have as impressive an Academy Award resume as 1950’s All About Eve. In this episode we discuss the film’s …

Tigers and Dragons and Swords! Oh My! In this episode we are discussing the Chinese film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. This film broke through and had financial success in the United States despite being a foreign …

Beginning in 1932 the Barrow Gang, a criminal group, ravaged a depression smitten mid-west America and in 1967 a film captured the exploits of the gang responsible for robbing countless small stores and even a few …

Sometimes great films are not enjoyable. That might be your experience with this week’s film Schindler’s List. That perhaps is a part of what makes …

Method acting might as well be synonymous with acting these days, but that all began On the Waterfront. This week we explore the film that proved the acting style was a viable option. We also talk about the impact …

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.