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PODCAST

The Needle: A Film Podcast

Scott Phillips and Eddie O"Blivion

Former Forbes.com film critic Scott Phillips and filmmaker Eddie O"Blivion make the most of your streaming services by discussing and recommending the "needles" in your digital haystacks. From film fans looking to broaden their cinematic horizons to veteran cinephiles seeking festival darlings and the kinds of films not typically found in your local multiplex, The Needle has something to offer every film lover. Feel free to email us at theneedlefilmpodcast@gmail.com to recommend your favorite

tv & film visual arts

All Episodes

01:04:59

Episode 10 -- Welcome to Spooky Season: The Cold Prey...

The Needle: A Film Podcast ·

2026/09/30

Somewhere in America, a chilly breeze is blowing, people are wearing sweaters, and everything smells like pumpkin spice. In Georgia, the home of The Needle, we're just happy it's under 100 degrees, and the arrival of October means we have an excuse to watch horror movies. Since this episode is posting on the eve of Spooky Season, we decided to turn our attention to a trio of underknown and underappreciated slasher films. The Cold Prey trilogy from Norway introduces a hulking killer known as The

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59:21

Episode 9 -- Go West, Young Man

The Needle: A Film Podcast ·

2026/09/16

From the 1950's to the 2020's, Scott Phillips and Eddie O'Blivion look at streaming needles in the haystacks of the Western genre. Scott leads off with a rare lead performance by character actor extraordinaire Tim Blake Nelson in the 2021 indie western Old Henry. Then Eddie carries his torch for the 1967 spaghetti wester Day of Anger from Italian director Nino Valerii. For his second featured pick of the episode, Scott stays in the 21st century with 2008's Appaloosa co-written by, directed by and

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01:06:13

Episode 8 -- Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma and...

The Needle: A Film Podcast ·

2026/09/02

The episode that Eddie O'Blivion has spent his whole life preparing for: Jane Schoenbrun's Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma. Although this show typically focuses on films available on streaming, Eddie and his co-host, Scott Phillips, thought this "instant Needle" needs your eyeballs and box office dollars while it's still in theaters and rolling over to VOD. Their discussion of "meta-slasher" horror films leads to a look at two additional streaming Needles: Severance (2007) and Cherry Falls

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01:12:11

Episode 7 -- The 2026 Fantasia International Film...

The Needle: A Film Podcast ·

2026/08/19

Eddie is waist deep in getting his kids back to school, so Scott brings in the podcast's first ever guest to help out: Adam Kautzer, the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of themovieisle.com. They discuss their favorite films from the 2026 Fantasia International Film Festival including one release that's already available on streaming. So break out the notes section on your phone or a good old-fashioned paper journal to jot down some of the best genre films from across the globe that will headed toward

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50:31

Episode 6 -- The Grab Bag Episode

The Needle: A Film Podcast ·

2026/08/05

Eddie woke up on recording day thinking about the French New Wave and the Agnes Vardas' 1962 film Cleo from 5 to 7. Scott takes us from France to Japan for a trio of films from Hirokazu Kore-eda that focus on the definition of family: Monster, Like Father, Like Son and Shoplifters. The show wraps up with Eddie's own exploration of "family" by discussing the twisted misfits of Rob Zombie's The Devil's Rejects. Cleo from 5 to 7 can be found on HBO Max, The Criterion Channel, Kanopy, YouTube TV and

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45:22

Episode 5 -- Enter the Martial Arts Films

The Needle: A Film Podcast ·

2026/07/22

In this episode, former Forbes.com film critic Scott Phillips and filmmaker Eddie O'Blivion, look at underseen films set in the world of martial arts. While there's nothing wrong with a good chopsocky Kung Fu film from the 1970s, these Needles are more than just mindless action fare. The episode kicks off with a discussion about the need to make foreign films a regular part of your film diet and getting over your fear of subtitles. Scott kicks off the discussion with the mid-life martial arts

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36:44

Bonus Episode: Fantasia International Film Festival...

The Needle: A Film Podcast ·

2026/07/15

In this bonus episode about the world of film festivals, your co-hosts Scott Phillips and Eddie O'Blivion take a look at the lineup for the 2026 Fantasia International Film Festival kicking off in Montreal on July 16th and cranking out amazing genre cinema until August 2nd. They discuss new films from Jane Schoenbrun (Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma), the Adams family (The Glorious Dead), Kyoshi Kurosawa (The Samurai and the Prisoner) and a number of other potential gems playing at Fantasia

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46:30

Episode 4 -- Sci-Fi Mindbenders

The Needle: A Film Podcast ·

2026/07/08

This time around your co-hosts, Scott Phillips and Eddie O'Blivion, take a look at a pair of science fiction Needles: the 2006 Cannes Film Festival disaster from Richard Kelly, Southland Tales, and James Ward Byrkit's 2013 mindbender Coherence. During their wide-ranging discussion they touch on two more non-science fiction Needles: David Robert Mitchell's trippy 2018 L.A. crime film, Under the Silver Lake, and John Carroll Lynch's 2017 dramedy, Lucky. Southland Tales can be rented on Amazon and

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54:43

Episode 3 -- Dance to the Music

The Needle: A Film Podcast ·

2026/06/24

This week former Forbes.com film critic Scott Phillips and filmmaker Eddie O'Blivion take a look at the musicial Needles hidden in the digital haystacks of your streaming services. Eddie leads off the discussion with John Carney's homage to the music of the 1980's with his 2016 gem Sing Street. Scott takes a look at Born to Be Blue, the stunning 2015 Ethan Hawke biopic of singer-trumpeter Chet Baker. For the third Needle of the show, Andrew asks: "Can a punk song save the world?" as he discusses the

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53:56

Episode 2

The Needle: A Film Podcast ·

2026/06/10

This week Scott and Eddie take a look at two underseen Dixie-fried noir gems: Jeremy Saulnier's Blue Ruin (2013) and Jim Mickle's Cold in July (2014). Then your hosts launch into their first-ever "lightning round" offering up Needles from other genres including a feature and a pair of short films from DIY action auteur Eric Jacobis along with the fantastic Thai riff on heist films, Bad Genius, and the Twilight Zone-inspired feature The Vast of Night. As of the writing of these show notes, you can

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01:00:15

Episode 1

The Needle: A Film Podcast ·

2026/05/27

Your co-hosts, former Forbes.com film critic Scott Phillips and filmmaker Eddie O'Blivion, open this very first episode with a mission statement of sorts. What is a Needle? Why does it matter? And why should this show be added to your regular film podcast rotation? Eddie takes a look at the 1988 real-time nuclear threat thriller MIRACLE MILE, and Scott ponders why MANHUNTER (1986), Michael Mann's foray into the world of Will Graham and Hannibal Lektor, remains the least seen film in the Hannibal

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