
This Movie Saved My Life
Which movie saved your life? Join film professor John Trafton and photographer Miles Fortune as they dive deep into the films that changed their lives and shaped the face of art and culture around the world.
Episodes
64 episodes
Re-release: Unwatchable
While co-host John recovers from surgery, listen to our classic episode "Unwatchable" from 2021. We'll be back in May with "Unwatchable: Part 2," where the hosts assign each other films they think the other would struggle to sit through. ...
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Season 5
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Episode 5
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1:07:19

Miles Watches Unforgiven (A Gene Hackman Tribute)
In the latest episode, John and Miles pay tribute to the late Gene Hackman by discussing Clint Eastwood's noir-western Unforgiven (1992) and Hackman's noteworthy films.
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Season 5
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Episode 4
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37:09

Los Angeles and Film Series: Collateral
John and Miles are back with a new installment in their recurring Los Angeles and Film series: Collateral (Michael Mann, 2004), starring Jamie Foxx and Tom Cruise. Listen as the two discuss the film and recount their favorite L.A. night driving...
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Season 5
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Episode 3
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45:17

Hundreds of Beavers
In our latest episode, John and Miles chat about films they've seen recently, why Spielberg's The Fablemans is too safe, and the hilarious insanity that is Hundreds of Beavers (Mike Cheslik, 2022).
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Season 5
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Episode 2
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47:32

David Lynch, L.A. Fires, and why John and Miles won't back down.
In this episode, John and Miles discuss their thoughts on the passing of director David Lynch, as well as the impact of the L.A. fires and finding courage in the face of troubling times.
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Season 5
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Episode 1
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1:00:37

Nosferatu (and Miles and John's favorite vampire films)
Listen as John and Miles break down Robert Eggers's long-awaited Nosferatu remake, as well as some of their favorite vampire films of all time.
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Season 4
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Episode 22
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51:17

Best of 2024
Listen as John and Miles discuss their favorite films and television series for 2024.
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Season 4
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Episode 21
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50:28

Top 5 of 1999
John and Miles reflect on films of 1999, 25 years on. What films made their top 5 list?
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Season 4
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Episode 20
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1:03:09

Anora
Listen as John and Miles discuss the aftermath of the election and Sean Baker's new film Anora, the perfect post-election film.
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Season 4
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Episode 19
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1:14:24

Alien
For our Halloween episode, we dive deep into one of John's favorite films, Ridley Scott's 1979 masterpiece Alien.
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Season 4
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Episode 18
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55:24

Top 5 directors we wish would do a horror film
Special guest Shawn Baker from The Horror Vision podcast is back! In this episode, John, Miles, and Shawn share their top 5 directors that they wish would do a horror movie.
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Season 4
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Episode 17
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58:04

The Election Episode
Miles and John sit down to talk politics and the upcoming election by taking the listeners on a personal journey through the films that help us make sense of it all.
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Season 4
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Episode 16
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50:04

Megalopolis
John and Miles discuss Francis Ford Coppola's latest film Megalopolis. Did we enjoy it or did we head for the hills? Listen and find out. Follow up on instagram @thismoviesavedmylife
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Season 4
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Episode 15
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46:16

Were we wrong?
We're back! In this episode, John and Miles talk about films that they may have been wrong about after their first viewing. Which films did they grow to like? Which films did they eventually dislike?
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Season 4
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Episode 14
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57:26

Food and Film
We're off for early September, but we'll be back in two weeks with a new episode. In the meantime, enjoy our throwback episode from early 2021 on Food and Film, featuring restauranteur and chef Monica Dimas.
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Season 4
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Episode 13
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1:55:47

The Tarantino Episode
Took us long enough to do a Tarantino episode. It's here now. Listen as John and Miles discuss their experiences with Tarantino's films, from Reservoir Dogs to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
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Season 4
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Episode 12
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1:23:50

The Bear Season 3
Listen as John and Miles discuss the latest season of the Hulu series The Bear, as well as 70 mm film festivals, 90s music, and why Olivia Coleman would be fun to party with.
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Season 4
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Episode 11
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52:23

Maxxxine
Listen as John and Miles discuss Ti West's latest film Maxxxine.
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Season 4
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Episode 10
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48:55

1994: A Year in Cinema (Part 3 with guest Sam Coale)
In our third and final episode of our 1994 retrospective, John and Miles are joined by filmmaker and podcaster Sam Coale (Back to the Frame Rate podcast and Walks of World) to discuss the action thriller Speed, starring Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bul...
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Season 4
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Episode 9
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1:19:19

1994: A Year in Cinema (Part Two with special guest Shawn C. Baker)
We are joined once again with special guest Shawn C. Baker from The Horror Vision podcast to continue our exploration of films from 1994. Listen as we talk about John Carpenter's In the Mouth of Madness, Charles Burnett's The Glass Shield, Kevi...
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Season 4
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Episode 8
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1:30:17

1994: A Year in Cinema (Part One)
The first part of our 1994 retrospective. Listen as John and Miles deep dive into Peter Jackson's "Heavenly Creatures," Tim Burton's "Ed Wood," Atom Egoyan's "Exotica," and Frank Darabont's The Shawshank Redemption.
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Season 4
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Episode 7
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1:41:12

Exploitation films (or, how trash can save cinema)
In our latest episode, John and Miles talk about exploitation films of the 60s and 70s , and how these films have much to teach us about possible solutions to Hollywood's present-day crisis.
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Season 4
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Episode 6
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1:15:54

Miles watches The Godfather for the first time
We're back. John became a Dad. Miles became a Godfather. So they decided to continue with the family theme and discuss Francis Ford Coppola's landmark film.
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Season 4
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Episode 5
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1:10:56

Family films: The Master and Shoplifters
Miles and John chat about family films, focusing on Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master and Kore-eda's Shoplifters. We also chat about True Detective: Night Country, Fallen Leaves, and The Holdovers.
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Season 4
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Episode 4
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1:06:59

Seattle University Filmmakers Club
John returns to Seattle University for a live audience recording of This Movie Saved My Life with the Seattle University Filmmakers Club. Miles joins virtually from a snowbound Bellingham, and with their audience they talk about some of their f...
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Season 4
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Episode 3
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43:48
