They Live

Unspooled

Paul Scheer & Amy Nicholson

Film Reviews, Tv & Film

4.6 • 4.7K Ratings

🗓️ 14 August 2025

⏱️ 70 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Put on your sunglasses—it’s time to see reality for what it truly is. Paul and Amy are rewinding the clock to 1988 to explore John Carpenter’s cult classic, They Live. Join them as they unpack how the film offers a sharp critique on Reagan-era America, reflects Carpenter’s political perspective, and why Carpenter wrote the script under a pseudonym. You can join the Unspooled conversation on Paul’s Discord at https://discord.gg/ZwtygZGTa6 Follow Paul and Amy on Letterboxd for more of their movie hot takes! https://letterboxd.com/paulscheer/ https://letterboxd.com/theamynicholson/ Paul’s book Joyful Recollections of Trauma is out now! Find it at https://www.harpercollins.com/products/joyful-recollections-of-trauma-paul-scheer Check out more of Paul's writing on his Substack https://substack.com/@paulscheer Episodic Art by Kim Troxall: https://www.unspooledart.com/ Learn more about the show at Unspooledpod.com, follow us on Twitter @unspooled and on Instagram @unspooledpod, and don’t forget to rate, review & subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or where you listen to podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	I've ruled out uni because I want to live at home.
0:02.0	I've ruled out uni because I want to earn money.
0:05.0	I've ruled out uni because of my grades.
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1:03.1	The year is 1988.
1:04.9	You see, I take these glasses off.
1:07.2	She looks like a regular person, doesn't she, huh?
1:10.1	Put them back on from meldehyde face.
1:10.7	That's what we got. That's enough out of you.
1:11.6	The movie, they live. Hello, everyone, and maybe Cinematica takes and the 100 best will be shot into space.
1:30.2	Hello, everyone, and welcome to Unspool.
1:39.3	Unspool.
1:41.3	Yes, welcome to Unspool.
1:43.1	This is a podcast about good movies, critical hits, fan favorites, and in case you missed them.
1:47.9	We have covered the AFI top 100, and now we are checking off movies from three major lists.
1:54.1	The Letterbox top 250 films with the most fans, the IMDB top 250, and the New York Times, 1,000 essential films.
	...

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