The Rolling Tape

How many hours has it been since you've been scrolling on your phone or tablet? Did you forget that the toys you once played with are now collecting dust and feeling neglected? It's one of the pressing themes we'll discuss with today's review of Toy Story 5, the 31st feature-length film from Pixar Animation released by Disney on June 19th. It's been seven years since we've hung out with the Toy Story gang since Toy Story 4. Toy Story 5 is co-written and co-directed by Andrew Stanton and McKenna Harris.

Today you've got a friend in us as we regroup with Woody, Buzz, and Jesse and more with our discussion of Toy Story 5. The film is described as follows: when Bonnie receives a Lilypad tablet to start making connections with friends in the real world, her screen time obsession makes playtime with her toys exponentially harder, as Jesse, Buzz, and Woody have to go head-to-head with the biggest threat to toys and their connections to children. The film stars Joan Cusack, Tim Allen, Tom Hanks, Greta Lee, and Conan O'Brien.
Our pre-episode Patreon exclusive conversation features:
Artificial dropped by Amazon MGM
Sean Penn to direct story of January 6th Cop
Curry Barker 8-figure deal
Spider-Man: Brand New Day Trailer
Shrek 5 Teaser
On this episode:
Paul Rai
Risa Bolash
Adam Patla
Sasha Raquel
Joshua Mbonu 
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Credits:
Theme music: Eugene Rocco Utley & Karl Vincent
Artwork: Danny Jarabek
Editor: Danny Jarabek
Assistant Producer: Evan Miller

Taking a break from the silver screen, we look back on the TV shows that made us and the progression of Queer representation in television. Looking back on our childhood watches, teen dramas, and what’s hot right now, we break down the best and worst of Queer television and what we are looking for next. 

Follow along as we continue to celebrate Queer Cinema with discussions on international and person-of-color representation next week! 
On this episode:
Sara Ciplickas
Claire May Lewis
Red Broadwell
Mariana Fabian
Jake Fittipaldi 
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Subscribe for Early Access and Video:
The Rolling Tape Patreon
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Have questions? Email info@therollingtape.com
Podcast Website Link
Website & Publications: www.therollingtape.com
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Credits:
Theme music: Eugene Rocco Utley & Karl Vincent
Artwork: Danny Jarabek
Editor: Danny Jarabek
Assistant Producer: Evan Miller

Why do we fall? So we can learn to pick ourselves up. Let’s dive into the films.
RETRO//RANKED is a Rolling Tape network series ranking the individual entries of beloved franchises and filmographies, timed to major new releases. For season 7, we're diving into the complete filmography of Christopher Nolan, building episode by episode, two films at a time, toward the release of his latest film, The Odyssey.
Insomnia is the third feature film from director Christopher Nolan. It was released on May 24, 2002. As of today, this is the only film directed by Nolan in which he does not have an official writing credit - even though he wrote the final draft of the screenplay himself.
Batman Begins is Nolan’s fourth movie. Co-written by Nolan and David S. Goyer, the film released on June 15, 2005.
Enjoy all VIDEO episodes of SEASON 7 one week ahead of their public audio-only release.
Our current collaborative ranking so far:
Memento
Following
On this episode:
Evan Miller
Paul Rai
Timmy Lee
Support the show
Subscribe for Early Access and Video:
The Rolling Tape Patreon
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Have questions? Email info@therollingtape.com
Podcast Website Link
Website & Publications: www.therollingtape.com
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Credits:
Theme music: Eugene Rocco Utley & Karl Vincent
Artwork: Danny Jarabek
Editor: Danny Jarabek
Assistant Producer: Evan Miller

Steven Spielberg — you know the name. He's one of our greatest living filmmakers on the planet. The man has created cinematic classics and enduring masterpieces that have and will stand the test of time. Yet early on in his career, he had a fascinating relationship with the Academy Awards, starting with his infamous home video in which he sarcastically reacts to not receiving a Best Director nomination for Jaws during the announcement of the 48th Academy Award nominations. "I got beaten out by Fellini," he joked. 
This rocky relationship continued even as he made blockbusters and heartfelt dramas all the way up until he won Best Director and Best Picture for Schindler's List at the 1994 ceremony.
Spielberg's filmography has amassed dozens of nominations above and below the line over the past 50 years. So with the release of his 35th directorial effort, Disclosure Day, we decided to do something massive in scale: a Steven Spielberg Awards Draft, where each of us will competitively draft Oscar nominations and wins from Steven Spielberg films that have been recognized by the Academy. 
We close the episode with a discussion of the awards potential for Disclosure Day at next year's Academy Awards. 
On this episode:
Paul Rai
Tate Fowler
Jacob Diedenhofer
Danny Jarabek
Support the show
Subscribe for Early Access and Video:
The Rolling Tape Patreon
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Have questions? Email info@therollingtape.com
Podcast Website Link
Website & Publications: www.therollingtape.com
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Credits:
Theme music: Eugene Rocco Utley & Karl Vincent
Artwork: Danny Jarabek
Editor: Danny Jarabek
Assistant Producer: Evan Miller

Christian Sprenger has spent eighteen years in television, but his collaboration with director Hiro Murai is in a category of its own. Together they have built a creative language across more than fifty episodes of television, from Atlanta to Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and now to Widow's Bay, the Apple TV+ comedy horror series created by Katie Dippold that has become one of the most talked-about shows of 2026. On Widow's Bay, Sprenger serves not only as cinematographer alongside co-DP Cody Jacobs, but also as a producer, a role he first stepped into during season three of Atlanta. 
Danny Jarabek spoke with Sprenger about the camera techniques he used to straddle the genre line between horror and comedy, the excitement of working with Ti West as the director of Episode 6, and how the colorist team reverse-engineered the filmic look of the show to give it the nostalgic, pre-digital feeling.
Follow our interviewee online:
Christian Sprenger IMDb, Instagram, Website
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Danny Jarabek
Support the show
Subscribe for Early Access and Video:
The Rolling Tape Patreon
Listen Here:
Spotify
Apple Podcasts
All Listening Platforms
Have questions? Email info@therollingtape.com
Podcast Website Link
Website & Publications: www.therollingtape.com
Social Platforms on Linktree
Credits:
Theme music: Eugene Rocco Utley & Karl Vincent
Artwork: Danny Jarabek
Editor: Danny Jarabek
Assistant Producer: Evan Miller