We close out the year with a loose, funny, and thoughtful end-of-year wrap-up episode of the Never Seen It Podcast, where we rapid-fire through standout movies we watched but never fully covered on the show. From first-time watches like Jaws to heated reactions to Eddington, we dig into film history, modern cinema, color grading, and why movies still shape culture decades later.
In this end-of-year wrap-up episode of the Never Seen It Podcast, we take a step back from our usual deep dives and instead run through a rapid-fire list of movies that stood out to us this year, an intentionally uncomfortable storyfilms we watched, argued about, and couldn’t stop thinking about, even if they never got a full episode of their own.
We kick things off by reflecting on the sheer volume of movies released this year and why this episode exists in the first place: there’s simply too much great cinema to cover everything in depth. That leads us into a broader conversation about what we’re excited to see next year, including upcoming releases, returning franchises, and how modern studios are increasingly blurring the line between filmmaking and corporate branding.
One of the central discussions revolves around Eddington, a deeply polarizing film set during the early days of the pandemic. We break down Joaquin Phoenix’s unsettling performance as a small-town sheriff, Pedro Pascal’s role as a politically charged mayor, and how the film layers social unrest, tribal land jurisdiction, and media spectacle into a story that’s intentionally uncomfortable. While not all of us landed in the same place on the movie, the conversation highlights how messy, challenging films can still be worth engaging with.
From there, we pivot into a nostalgic but revealing discussion about Ghost World and the evolution of color in cinema. We talk about how films from the late ’90s and early 2000s embraced bold, vibrant color palettes—even when the characters themselves were cynical or emotionally detached—and how modern movies and TV shows often favor muted, gray color grading. This sparks a broader conversation about “millennial gray,” production design, and how visual storytelling subtly affects how we emotionally experience films.
One of the biggest moments of the episode comes when we talk about watching Jaws for the first time. We dig into why Steven Spielberg’s 1975 classic still works so well today, how its themes of political denial and public safety feel eerily modern, and why its restraint—especially the limited use of the shark—makes it more terrifying than many contemporary horror films. We also unpack its massive cultural influence, from John Williams’ iconic score to references that continue popping up in movies, TV shows, and pop culture decades later.
Throughout the episode, we weave in personal anecdotes, side tangents, and genuine laughs—whether we’re talking about movie theaters, live concert screenings, classic directors, or the slow realization that we’re all getting older. We wrap things up by thanking listeners for sticking with us, shouting out new followers, and reflecting on the fact that the podcast has now been running for over five years.
This episode is less about rankings and more about celebrating why we love movies in the first place—how they linger, how they change with time, and how watching them together makes the experience even better.