On the fifty- seventh episode of All the Film Things, I had the pleasure of interviewing Oscar- nominated writer Kim Krizan!

Kim Krizan is a California- based Oscar- nominated writer whose work thirty years ago has remained popular and continued to resonate deeply amongst audiences across generations. Her master’s thesis on Anaïs Nin piqued Richard Linklater’s interest whilst she auditioned for his film Slacker (1992). After that, the two became frequent collaborators in the 90s and 2000s. Not only did Kim star in Dazed and Confused (1993), she co- wrote Before Sunrise (1995) with Linklater and co- created the story of Before Sunset (2004), which earned her an Oscar nomination. Her creative writing expands beyond film as she has also written a comic book and two books, including Original Sins: Trade Secrets of the Femme Fatale which you could purchase by clicking here. Aside from her work on and for the big screen, Kim has been teaching creative writing around the world and at California colleges.

For the past five years, Kim has brought her creative writing lectures to Patreon through her channel “The Magic Hour”. “The Magic Hour” is a virtual writing class accessible to people around the world who want to gain the inspiration to write and tell original stories. Some of the collections offered include analyzing films, personal exploration, and solving writing problems. Go to Patreon.com/KimKrizan to subscribe to “The Magic Hour” and unlock lessons that will inspire and improve your creative writing as well as attend occasional live sessions to get advice in real time from Kim. Both monthly and annual subscriptions are offered or you can purchase specific collections at various prices.

This is Kim’s first time on ATFT! I reached out to her a few months ago and had been looking forward to this interview ever since! Both Before Sunrise and Before Sunset are two of my favorite films and, when I started preparing for the interview, the clearer it was how much of her voice is in the script. To have had the opportunity to chat with Kim will remain a true highlight and she was somehow even lovelier than I expected her to be! This episode was recorded on January 22, 2026. I wanted to ensure I could make this a good interview in the short amount of time we had so if I sound more nervous than usual, that is why.

In this episode, Kim shares her passion for cinema from the silent era to foreign art films. Kim also talks about writing the Before Sunrise script with Richard Linklater in less than a month, how much the earrings she wore to the Oscars cost, and why she wasn’t involved in the making of Before Midnight. All this and much more on the latest episode of All the Film Things!

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On the fifty- sixth episode of All the Film Things, film pundit Kwestin Fisher joins me in discussing our top ten films of the 2020s (so far)! This episode is explicit.

Now that it’s January 2026, we are officially in the second half of the 2020s… if you can believe it! There have been a plethora of excellent films released in the past five years and, as we look to what’ll be hitting theaters this year, the second half of the 2020s will surely be bright for cinema. After reflecting on solely 2025 in the previous episode, I thought it would be fun to reflect on the 2020s as a whole as sort of a companion piece to that latest episode.

This is Kwestin’s first time on the show! It’s hard to believe this is Kwest’s ATFT debut considering how long we’ve been trying to record an episode together. We’ve known each other for about four years now as we both were interns on the social media app formerly called Relevnt. We’ve stayed in contact ever since, most always discussing film. Because of our schedules and living in different time zones, it’s tough to set a time to record an episode together. Thankfully we were able to make it work this year and I’m thrilled to finally have him on the podcast! This episode was recorded on January 10, 2026.

Kwest is the face and founder of Fish Flicks Entertainment where he talks about film, television, and pro wrestling. He is an excellent movie critic who really goes to see all the movies (well… all except Sentimental Value 😂) and doesn’t hold back in giving his honest opinion. He’s been consistent for years covering topical stories in film, sharing both movie and television reviews, out of theater reaction reels, and interviews on his social media accounts including Fish Flicks Entertainment on YouTube so all you movie fans will definitely want to follow him across all platforms! In October, he interviewed stars, including Lil Red Howery, on the Micheaux Film Festival red carpet! Earlier this month, Kwest launched a weekly show called FishReel that can be found on his YouTube channel! It’s an exciting expansion of Fish Flicks so be sure to follow @FishFlicksEnt on YouTube as well as on Instagram, Tik Tok, and Twitter/ X! You can find links to all things Fish Flicks by clicking here!

In this episode, Kwest and I begin by discussing how the 2020s are shaping up as a decade in film before sharing our own top 10 lists. Kwest’s list is filled with blockbuster favorites including a few superhero movies that led him to recall significant movie theater experiences while my list contains films by some of today’s best filmmakers around the world. Between our lists, we only have one film in common 👀. We go on to discuss the Lily Gladstone- Emma Stone Best Actress Oscar’s race, reminisce about what a great year 2019 was for film, and our shared appreciation for Pedro Almodóvar. Also, Kwest sings a note from the beloved song from Sinners which you won't want to miss. All this and more on the brand new episode of All the Film Things!

Background music created and used with permission by the Copyright Free Music - Background Music for Videos channel on YouTube.