This month on A Bend in the Road, Roberta is joined by broadcaster, film critic, and host of the Cinephile podcast Adnan Virk for a lively deep dive into the movies that matter now.
Known for his sharp insights and contagious love of cinema, Virk brings his passion, encyclopedic knowledge, and signature blend of humor to talk Oscars buzz, under-the-radar gems, the state of movie theaters, streaming’s impact on film culture, and the performances everyone will be arguing about this year.
Things We Talked About
Adnan Virk’s podcast, Cinephile with Adnan Virk (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)
Adnan Virk’s book, Cinephile: Interviews, Essays, and Tales from the Red Carpet.
(You can also borrow a copy from the Ridgewood Public Library!)
2026 Academy Award Nominations
Referenced Films
Good Fellas
Taxi Driver
Mean Streets
End of the Affair
Blue Moon
Train Dreams
The Last Temptation of Christ
The Royal Tenenbaums
Citizen Kane
The Magnificent Ambersons
Silence
Hugo
The King of Comedy
Raging Bull
Dead Poets Society
Boyhood
First Reform
Ash Wednesday
True West
Before Sunrise Trilogy
The Substance
Poor Things
Bugonia
Moonlight
Green Book
Battleship Potemkin
One False Move
The Man Who Wasn’t There
Fargo
Secrets and Lies
Hard Truce
First Reformed
Affliction
I, Tonya
Barbie
Wolf of Wall Street
Lady Bird
Magnolia
There Will Be Blood
Boogie Nights
Uncut Gems
A Complete Unknown
Call Me By Your Name
Field of Dreams
Walk the Line
Bohemian Rhapsody
Rocketman
Song Sung Blue
Sweet Dreams
Deliver Me From Nowhere
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
Episode Credits
A Bend in the Road is written, hosted, and produced by Roberta Panjwani and created by Roberta Panjwani and Diane Sims.
Our Assistant Producer for this episode is me, Elias Rosner and Kaleigh Diamond.
Our Editors are Roberta Panjwani and Elias Rosner.
Our Technical Directors and Audio Engineers are Matt Giannotti, John Lubas, and Elias Rosner.
Our Digital Media Producers are Elias Rosner and Kaleigh Diamond.
Original Music is written and performed by Diane Sims.
Our thanks to Kaleigh for joining us in the studio today.
The clip of “Hooray for Hollywood,” written by Johnny Mercer and performed by Rosemary Clooney, is courtesy of Concord Jazz, Taxi Driver is courtesy of Columbia Pictures Entertainment and One Battle After Another is courtesy of Warner Bros. Entertainment.
