Critic recalls how love of films blossomed in S.A. theaters

A few years ago, film critic and San Antonio native Amy Nicholson hosted a podcast called “The Canon,” and actor Paul Scheer came on to debate the artistic merits of the original “Ghostbusters.”

Scheer had a lot to say about the movie’s virtues — “He wanted to argue that it is one of the all-time classics,” Nicholson said — whereas she was a little cooler about it.

Nicholson enjoyed the conversation so much, she invited Scheer back to talk about the cult film “The Room.” Soon after that, she and Scheer launched their own engaging joint podcast, “Unspooled,” in which they set out to watch and discuss every title on the American Film Institute’s list of the 100 greatest American movies of all time.

“We just hit it off as movie fans who come at the movies from slightly different directions,” said Nicholson, who has covered film for a range of media outlets, including MTV News and the L.A. Weekly. “I’m over here studying it from afar as a critic, and he has directed and been directed, and knows what it’s like to put a whole movie together, so I love our brains melding and disagreeing.”

They started with “Citizen Kane,” which is No. 1 on the list, then hopscotched around.

They’ve argued over “Goodfellas” (No. 92) — she thinks it doesn’t belong on the list; he makes a strong case for its inclusion as “the perfect Scorsese film” — and just a bit about “All About Eve” (No. 28) — he thinks the playwright’s wife in the film is the worst person in it, a suggestion with which she strongly disagrees.

Nicholson and Scheer are close to finishing their original mission as they near the last few films. But she said they’re looking into ways to keep the podcast going.

“We’ve talked a lot about the films that we would not keep on the list if we were to redo it and the films we think deserve a place,” she said. “There are so many huge holes — not a single film by a female filmmaker,

there’s only one by an African American director. There’s a lot that needs to be done to the list to make it feel fully alive and representative of where Hollywood is really standing. And there are films that should be on the list that aren’t, like ‘Princess

Bride’ and ‘When Harry Met Sally.’

“I also just want a way to be around Paul Scheer’s fascinating brain every week.”

Nicholson’s passion for movies dates to childhood. She has fond memories of watching “ancient films on TV” with her dad.

“When I think about my life as when I was the person falling in love with movies, I have this vivid memory of my dad dropping me off at the movie theater near Central Park Mall by myself to watch ‘Beauty and the Beast’ and feeling so adult to be

Nicola Gell / Getty Images for SXSW Film critic and San Antonio native Amy Nicholson is co-host of the podcast “Unspooled.”