The Strange Harbors Podcast

"Highest 2 Lowest"

This week we review Highest 2 Lowest, Spike Lee's brazen remake of the 1963 black and white Akira Kurosawa classic, High and Low. A divisive movie with its own modern mind apart from its predecessor, Highest 2 Lowest split audiences at Cannes this year and has now split us on the podcast as well. Akira Kurosawa at the height of his power or Spike Lee's late style curio? We talk about aging masters, baffling scores, and Lee's storied oeuvre as a whole.

2025 Summer Box Office Wager Results

It's that time of year again where we reveal the winner of our annual summer box office wager. Amir has taken the crown since the 2023 inception of this standing contest among hosts. Will he do it again this year? Or can Derek or Jeff finally win one? We discuss the movies of the summer: surprise hits, dark horse picks, and the biggest disappointments. Plus, a brief recap of the Emmys.

"Caught Stealing"

Darren Aronofsky follows up his divisive Oscar-winner, The Whale, with a throwback to 90s capers. Caught Stealing is an After Hours pastiche without any ego and a studio potboiler aimed right down the middle of the road, it just happens to star one of the most charismatic casts assembled in 2025. Jeff and Derek discuss the star power of Austin Butler, the few surprises the film has in store, and this strange departure from Aronofsky's typical auteurism. Tune in!

"Alien: Earth"

Xenomorphs get the prestige television treatment with Noah Hawley's Alien: Earth. Mashing up extraterrestrial horror with corpo-palace intrigue, the eight-episode first season looks to expand the world of the Ridley Scott classic. Does Hawley's acclaimed pedigree with Legion and Fargo hold promise for his new series? We review the first five episodes.

"Weapons"

Zach Cregger follows up his 2022 surprise hit Barbarian with another bout of sneaky horror with Weapons. Centered around a town grappling with a singular classroom of missing children, Cregger's sophomore feature-length film turns a microscope into a Fresnel lens to heat up the rot of an empathy-starved community: safety, routine, and comfort crumbling into dust amidst hidden dangers and inexplicable tragedy. The question is, does it stick the landing? Tune in to our review to find out.