Austin Zook
Audio By Carbonatix
First comes friendship, then comes podcasting.
At least, that’s how Chris Collins, Josh Rodriguez and Alex Wilshin, the hosts of the popular film/comedy podcast There Are Too Many Movies, did it. It has become a running joke that if a group of guys can make each other laugh, one of them is going to want to start a podcast. What makes these friends stand apart is that they actually did. And it worked.
The show premiered in 2019. Each episode presents the trio discussing a film and letting the conversation flow in whatever direction their easy banter takes them. Five years in, There Are Too Many Movies boasts thousands of monthly listeners, hosts film screenings at local theaters and is co-presenting a visit to The Texas Theatre by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Roger Avary (who co-wrote Pulp Fiction with Quentin Tarantino) and his daughter, writer/producer Gala Avary, Feb. 27-28.
Collins, Rodriguez and Wilshin have known each other for more than 15 years. They met in high school when Collins and Rodriguez took a media class together and Wilshin was in a band with Rodriguez. The three became fast friends and it wasn’t long before they were cutting class and spending their days hanging out, grabbing food and watching movies. And, of course, talking about them.
“The podcast started back then in, you know, 2009, basically just from conversations [we were] having every single day,” says Rodriguez.
“I barely graduated,” adds Wilshin.
When they launched There Are Too Many Movies, they decided to focus on films because movies represented a shared interest and a foundational element of their relationship.
“Every single weekend we would all go out and watch movies together,” Rodriguez says. “That was, like, from high school on. We would always end up getting together to watch a movie at some point.”
There was plenty of trial and error as they found their footing in the show’s early days. Barak Epstein, president of Aviation Cinemas (which operates The Texas Theatre), was an early supporter. He encouraged the hosts to focus on movies they enjoyed watching rather than covering whatever blockbuster happened to be releasing each week.
“I think we were just … grasping at riding these hype waves of new releases,” says Collins, reflecting back on those early episodes. “But now we’ve kind of receded into just doing what we want, and that’s done a lot better overall.” By focusing on what they like instead of chasing trends, the hosts of There Are Too Many Movies built a community of film enthusiasts who respond to the show’s love of movies and irreverent energy.
As for what makes a movie a good fit for the podcast, that can be hard to pin down.
“I feel like we have a Venn diagram where we all meet on certain types of movies, but we all have … our side streets, too,” says Collins.
Wilshin agrees with that assessment, saying, “We always love a good psycho thriller or, like, Josh calls them ‘getting to the bottom of it’ movies, where it’s a detective getting to the bottom of a case that no one cares about anymore.”
That’s the overlap, but Wilshin also calls out some areas where their tastes differ.
“I like Godzilla and Japanese stuff, whereas Josh hates it,” he says. “They both love Aaron Sorkin movies, and I hate him.”
For the hosts, the most important thing is that the show never feels like it takes itself too seriously.
“We don’t want to be just another ‘film bro’ podcast,” says Collins. “We like to just … keep it light and talk about what [we’ve] been watching.”
That easygoing atmosphere is what put them on Gala Avary’s radar. There Are Too Many Movies is recorded in Collins’s apartment, and the videos of the episodes are posted online. This helps them reach a broader audience when a clip on Instagram or TikTok does well. Avary, who has her own podcast, The Gala Show, and produces The Video Archives Podcast, hosted by her father and Quentin Tarantino, came across the show, responded to its laid-back vibes and asked to be a guest. It was a big moment for the podcast, one that has led to additional opportunities.
As a result of their relationship with The Texas Theatre and their connection with Gala Avary, There Are Too Many Movies will co-present and promote the visit by the father/daughter duo next month. In addition to screenings and Q&As at The Texas Theatre, the two will appear on an upcoming episode of There Are Too Many Movies.
“Dude, it doesn’t make any sense,” says Collins. “It’s baffling, it’s humbling, it’s exciting.”
Pulp Fiction was hugely influential on Collins as a young film fan.
“It’s like, that guy who helped write that movie is now coming to my house and he’s going to meet my … cat.”
(The cat, Vivian, named after film composer and director Vivian Kubrick, made several appearances during our Teams call, asserting herself as a valued member of the show.)
Their reach and influence may be expanding, but the foundation of There Are Too Many Movies remains the hosts’ connection. They are quick to praise each other for their contributions (and to tease each other when the conversation starts feeling too sincere).
A podcast was the natural next step for a friendship that started in high school and survived the transition to adulthood. When you listen to Collins, Rodriguez and Wilshin talk, you can see why it worked; their bond has a gravitational pull, and it makes for great listening.
