Amy & Paul say aloha to 1982's high school romp Fast Times At Ridgemont High! They learn about the real life inspiration for Spicoli from Sean Penn, take a close look at the film's unique treatment of teen sex, and wonder just what a trout dog is. Plus: director Amy Heckerling explains how she worked around the studio system to bring her vision to the film. This is the sixth episode of our “Back To School” miniseries; next week’s film is the winner of the fan vote for this series, Dazed And Confused! Learn more about the show at unspooledpod.com, follow us on Twitter @unspooled and Instagram @unspooledpod, and don’t forget to rate, review & subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify. Also check out our live Spool Party episodes on youtube.com/earwolf, and apply to be a guest on Screen Test at unspooledpod@gmail.com! Photo credit: Kim Troxall

Paul & Amy pour one out for 1975's comic high school drama Cooley High! They learn how the film scored a soundtrack of wall-to-wall Motown hits, analyze the film's take on teenage hijinks, and praise Michael Schultz as one of the great underrated directors. Plus: Glynn Turman ("Preach") talks about the impact Cooley High had on his career. This is the fifth episode of our "Back To School" miniseries; next week’s film is Fast Times At Ridgemont High! Learn more about the show at unspooledpod.com, follow us on Twitter @unspooled and Instagram @unspooledpod, and don’t forget to rate, review & subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify. Also check out our live Spool Party episodes on youtube.com/earwolf, and apply to be a guest on Screen Test at unspooledpod@gmail.com! Photo credit: Kim Troxall

Amy & Paul are torn apart by 1955's landmark teen drama Rebel Without A Cause! They celebrate the instantly iconic performance of James Dean, learn about the wild backstory of director Nicholas Ray, and take a close look at the seismic generational shifts of the era. Plus: reflections on the recent passing of Chadwick Boseman. This is the fourth episode of our "Back To School" miniseries; next week’s film is Cooley High! Learn more about the show at unspooledpod.com, follow us on Twitter @unspooled and Instagram @unspooledpod, and don’t forget to rate, review & subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify. Also check out our live Spool Party episodes on youtube.com/earwolf, and apply to be a guest on Screen Test at unspooledpod@gmail.com! Photo credit: Kim Troxall

Paul & Amy raise hell for 1959's French New Wave adolescent drama The 400 Blows! They learn how François Truffaut went from a Hitchcock-worshipping critic to a director himself, discuss how he then became a major influence on directors like Steven Spielberg, and praise the value of creative limitations in creating truly fresh works of art. Plus: a scene from the unforgettable Sesame Street adaptation. This is the third episode of our "Back To School" miniseries; next week’s film is Rebel Without A Cause! Learn more about the show at unspooledpod.com, follow us on Twitter @unspooled and Instagram @unspooledpod, and don’t forget to rate, review & subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify. Also check out our live Spool Party episodes on youtube.com/earwolf! Photo credit: Kim Troxall

Amy & Paul stand for 1988's rousing math class drama Stand And Deliver! They ask if this is the first major 'indie' film, learn how Edward James Olmos crafted his commanding performance as Jaime Escalante, and investigate whether the real students depicted cheated on their exam. Plus: Lou Diamond Phillips explains how he got cast as Angel, and why poker requires top-notch math skills. This is the second episode of our "Back To School" miniseries; next week’s film is The 400 Blows! Learn more about the show at unspooledpod.com, follow us on Twitter @unspooled and Instagram @unspooledpod, and don’t forget to rate, review & subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify. Also check out our live Spool Party episodes on youtube.com/earwolf! Photo credit: Kim Troxall

Paul & Amy are obsessed with 2004's teenage clique comedy Mean Girls! They approach the film as a work of anthropology, praise Amanda Seyfried's perfectly dumb performance, and ask how this pre-social media movie became so heavily GIF'd. Plus: Mark Waters talks about how it feels to have directed a modern sleepover classic. This is the first episode of our first miniseries of Season 2, Back To School; next week’s film is Stand And Deliver! Learn more about the show at unspooledpod.com, follow us on Twitter @unspooled and Instagram @unspooledpod, and don’t forget to rate, review & subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Also find us on youtube.com/earwolf! Photo credit: Kim Troxall

Get ready for Unspooled: The New 100, beginning August 20th!

It's the end of Season 1...welcome to the AFI Thunderdome! Amy and Paul discover which movies from the AFI 100 surprised and stuck with Unspooled listeners the most, reveal their top 10 and bottom 10 films from the list (along with Producer Josh and Engineer Devon) and make some hard decisions regarding which films deserve to stay in the 100, and which should get cut. Stick around until the end for a big announcement about Season 2, which begins August 20th. Go to unspooledpod.com to see Paul & Amy's ranked list of their top 40 films from the AFI 100! Follow us on Twitter @Unspooled and Instagram @unspooledpod, and don’t forget to rate, review & subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts. Also check out our live Spool Party episodes on youtube.com/earwolf! Photo credit: Kim Troxall

Paul & Amy will always have 1942's Humphrey Bogart WWII romance Casablanca! They learn the trick Bogart used to make himself a magnetic romantic lead, ask each other what their most used Casablanca quote is, and watch an alternate ending as imagined by The Simpsons. Plus: Ben Mankiewicz (TCM, The Plot Thickens) shares why he thinks Casablanca is a greatest-film-of-all-time contender. Join us next week as we say goodbye to the AFI list and tell you what we have in store for Season 2. In the meantime, see if you can cut the list down to 50 must-keep films! Follow us on Twitter @Unspooled, get more info at unspooledpod.com and don’t forget to rate, review & subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts. Also check out our live Spool Party episodes on youtube.com/earwolf! Photo credit: Kim Troxall

Paul & Amy make a last stand for 1969’s mythic Western Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid! They praise the film’s use of montage, discuss how the unusually light tone sets it apart from other Westerns, and contemplate whether Steve McQueen could have played Sundance as well as Robert Redford. Plus: Author Thom Hatch (The Last Outlaws) tells us the stories of the real life Butch and Sundance he wishes made it into the film. You can join the conversation on Paul’s Discord at https://discord.gg/ZwtygZGTa6. Check out Paul's Substack https://paulscheer.substack.com/Paul’s book Joyful Recollections of Trauma is on presale now! Find it at https://www.harpercollins.com/products/joyful-recollections-of-trauma-paul-scheerLearn more about the show at Unspooledpod.com, follow us on Twitter @unspooled and check out fun movie art on Instagram @unspooledpod created by Kim Troxall, and don’t forget to rate, review & subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or where you listen to podcasts.