What If I Don’t Like It? - A Movie Discussion Podcast

What if one of the most iconic movies ever made just... isn't your thing?

Filmmaker, actress, and writer Lindsey Deland watched Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction (1994) for the first time. Her verdict? ½ star.

I loved it. She... really didn't.

In this episode of What If I Don't Like It?, Lindsey and I take a deep dive into Pulp Fiction, Quentin Tarantino, and the very different ways we experienced one of the most influential movies of ...

What if one of the most important films ever made is also one of the hardest to bring yourself to watch?

Writer and filmmaker Joey Paul Calhoun joins What If I Don't Like It? to discuss Schindler's List, exploring why its reputation can feel intimidating and what makes Steven Spielberg's Holocaust drama endure more than 30 years later.

At its core, this episode is about the difference between a film's importance and the experience o...

What if Interstellar isn’t actually as intimidating as its reputation suggests? Filmmaker Riley Cosby joins What If I Don’t Like It? to watch Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi epic for the first time and unpack whether its emotional core lives up to the hype or the legend around it.

At its core, this episode is about expectation versus experience, and how “big” movies often come with a lot of baggage before yo...

What happens when a filmmaker who loves pushing creative boundaries finally watches Everything Everywhere All At Once for the first time?In this episode of What If I Don’t Like It?, I sit down with filmmaker, documentarian, and creative force behind Running Scared Motion Pictures (‪@RunningScaredMotionPictures‬ ) Josh DeForge, to unpack the Oscar-winning multiverse phenomenon Everything Everywhere All At Once, a film Josh som...

First time watching Con Air (1997)… and somehow this absurd action movie actually works.

Is Nicolas Cage the reason this chaotic ‘90s classic still holds up, especially for first-time viewers?

In our newest episode of What If I Don’t Like It?, I’m joined by multidisciplinary artist and filmmaker Jaina Cipriano for her first-ever viewing of Con Air... and the results are not what we expected!

We break down:

-...

Two weeks ago, I dropped the full deep-dive episode on Heavy Metal with illustrator/ artist Brett Kelley, and if you haven’t checked that out yet, this is your sign.

Today’s as part of our new formatting in Season 3, I have a standalone trivia segment packed with some of the wildest behind-the-scenes facts, obscure details, and straight-up insane production stories from this cult classic. From lost music rights that kept...

This episode, we’re discussing the animated cult classic Heavy Metal. A strange, influential, and often controversial film that helped push adult animation into mainstream conversation.

Host Kt Baldassaro is joined by illustrator Brett Kelley for a deep dive into Heavy Metal (1981) : its origins, its visual style, and why the movie still has a devoted following more than four decades later.

In this Heavy Metal (1981) review and...

Ever wondered why Napoleon Dynamite feels so strangely specific — and why that awkwardness actually works?

In this trivia segment from What If I Don’t Like It? (Episode 43), filmmaker Victoria Roccaforte and I break down 10 obscure behind-the-scenes facts about Napoleon Dynamite that reveal how carefully constructed this “random” movie really is.

We get into:
• Why Jon Heder drew all of Napoleon’s ske...

I finally watched Napoleon Dynamite, and I need to talk about it!

With returning guest and filmmaker Victoria Roccaforte, we break down how this tiny Sundance film turned into a cultural juggernaut, why it made over $130 million in home video sales, and how its awkward sincerity separates it from the mean comedies of its era.

We get into:

– The origin of the character from Peluca

– The bizarre hand-model credit sequence

&...

Greta Gerwig’s Little Women (2019) is critically adored, but is it the version that actually lasts? In this episode, I'm joined by Holly Holiday (Get Your Popcorn Podcast) for a deep, conversational breakdown of why this story keeps returning, how adaptation shapes meaning, and why nostalgia is such a powerful (and dangerous) lens. This is a film conversation for people who love movies and like questioning them!

🎬 FILMS DISCU...

What If I Don’t Like It? – Season Two Finale: The Night of the Hunter (1955)

For the season two finale, I’m joined by film critic Carl Gustafson ("@Carlthefilmcritic") to talk about The Night of the Hunter (1955), a classic horror film often called one of the greatest and most influential movies ever made. Why do filmmakers love it? Why did it fail on release? And why can it feel intimidating to first-time viewers?

...

Is Fried Green Tomatoes secretly the beginning of a Wendigo movie?A fun and heartfelt deep dive into Fried Green Tomatoes with Brian Cottington from Cinema Psychos. We break down the film’s queer subtext, Southern Gothic themes, adaptation changes, VHS nostalgia, and why this 1991 classic still resonates. Plus: Hellraiser, food in movies, 90s comfort rewatches, and way too many cannibalism jokes.

We get into:• why Fried Green ...

Horror film reviewer Taylor Complains (@taylorcomplains) joins host Kt Baldassaro (@MovieRuntime) to dig into Frank Oz’s 1986 cult horror musical classic Little Shop of Horrors. Killer plants sing, Rick Moranis charms, and the bleak alternate ending is somehow more expensive than Aliens. 

Kt and Taylor dive into what happens when a horror fan with zero patience for musicals meets one of the campiest cult classics of the 1...

Independent filmmaker Victoria Roccaforte joins host Kt Baldassaro (@MovieRuntime) to dive deep into Richard Linklater’s rotoscoped sci-fi masterpiece A Scanner Darkly and the world of Philip K. Dick.

▶️ From the mind-bending animation process to the film’s eerily prescient themes of surveillance, addiction, and identity, this conversation is packed with insight for cinephiles and casual viewers alike.

We also explore: �...

What if a board game could trap you for 26 years… and when you finally escape, you’re Robin Williams in full survival mode? That’s Jumanji — and it’s way darker, weirder, and more heartfelt than you might remember.

In this episode of What If I Don’t Like It?, Scott and I revisit the 1995 classic after traveling to Keene, New Hampshire for the 30th Anniversary celebration — inflatable animal...

Independence Day Special NEW Episode!

You’ve seen the memes. You’ve heard the line: “I’m gonna steal the Declaration of Independence.” If you’re anything like me, that alone might’ve convinced you National Treasure wasn’t for you. I thought it was going to be overly patriotic, too Disneyfied, or worse—Nicolas Cage screaming about ancient glasses. I was wrong.

In this special July ...

Join filmmaker and film critic Kt Baldassaro (@MovieRuntime) as she welcomes guest Crystal Justine (@HeyCrystalJ)—creator of TheCinemaNook.com—for a deep dive into Joe Wright’s Pride & Prejudice (2005). From manic pixie dream girls and horror community drama to ADHD writing chaos and the enduring power of practical effects, this episode is a warm, chaotic, and cinematic deep cut.

In this episode, we explore:• W...

Paprika (2006) Is Better Than Inception?
Talking Satoshi Kon, Dreams, and Fandoms with Aaron Wood

This week, we’re diving into a movie I love with someone I think you’re going to love too—illustrator, designer, and board game artist Aaron Wood.

We’re talking Paprika (2006), Satoshi Kon’s visually wild, brain-bending anime that’s basically Inception before Inception—but weirder, and honestl...

In this recut mini-episode from Season One, we revisit our conversation with guest Rocky Calsetta—but this time, we skip the setup and go straight to the post-watch reveal.

Rocky finally saw Raiders of the Lost Ark... and you might be surprised by his take.

We’re trimming down the two-part episodes from our early days and spotlighting the moments that matter most: how people feel after facing the films they’ve long ...