Tag: Podcast

Episode 126 – The Princess Bride

, with special guest:

The Princess BrideOK, we finally get to watch The Princess Bride! As one might expect, it was a challenge to find someone who hadn’t seen the movie but with a little work, we found Megan Ealain, who agreed to join us and watch the movie for the first time! If you’ve never seen this 1980’s fantasy/comedy gem before, you should definitely do so before you listen to the episode. If you have seen it before (more likely), you can enjoy our stories about the film and even Tim’s story about meeting one of the actors!

Next up, we are going to follow Peter Falk to The Great Race!

The Princess Bride (1987)
The Princess Bride poster Rating: 8.0/10 (456,456 votes)
Director: Rob Reiner
Writer: William Goldman
Stars: Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Robin Wright
Runtime: 98 min
Rated: PG
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Family
Released: 09 Oct 1987
Plot: A bedridden boy's grandfather reads him the story of a farmboy-turned-pirate who encounters numerous obstacles, enemies and allies in his quest to be reunited with his true love.

Episode 122 – Young Frankenstein

, with special guest:

Young FrankensteinJust in time for the day after Halloween! We finish off our trip through the films that are arguably Mel Brooks’ best with Young Frankenstein! This satirical homage to the classic Universal horror movies (but especially Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein) may be one of Brooks’ least madcap films but it is still a comedic masterpiece. Gene Wilder heads up a stellar cast that really chews scenery in black and white!

Next up, we’ll follow Madeline Kahn to Clue!

Young Frankenstein (1974)
Young Frankenstein poster Rating: 8.0/10 (171,447 votes)
Director: Mel Brooks
Writer: Gene Wilder, Mel Brooks, Mary Shelley
Stars: Gene Wilder, Madeline Kahn, Marty Feldman
Runtime: 106 min
Rated: PG
Genre: Comedy
Released: 15 Dec 1974
Plot: An American grandson of the infamous scientist, struggling to prove that his grandfather was not as insane as people believe, is invited to Transylvania, where he discovers the process that reanimates a dead body.

Episode 109 – High Noon

, with special guest:

High NoonKyle Dekker joins us to watch a Western that is a not even a little bit subtle allegory for the behavior of Hollywood during the House UnAmerican Activities Committee hearings – High Noon! Gary Cooper won an Oscar for his powerful portrayal of a man who slowly comes to realize that nobody will stand up for him in his time of greatest need. We talk a lot about how much John Wayne hated this film because John Wayne really hated this film. Screenwriter Carl Foreman had to leave the country for England while this movie was filming so he had some knowledge of the damage the HUAC could do. We had a ball watching the movie and we hope you enjoy it as well!

Coming up next: Goonies! This time for sure!

High Noon (1952)
High Noon poster Rating: 7.9/10 (111,712 votes)
Director: Fred Zinnemann
Writer: Carl Foreman, John W. Cunningham
Stars: Gary Cooper, Grace Kelly, Thomas Mitchell
Runtime: 85 min
Rated: PG
Genre: Drama, Thriller, Western
Released: 30 Jul 1952
Plot: A town Marshal, despite the disagreements of his newlywed bride and the townspeople around him, must face a gang of deadly killers alone at "high noon" when the gang leader, an outlaw he "sent up" years ago, arrives on the noon tr...

Episode 102 – Layer Cake

, with special guest:

Layer CakeWe have reached the end of our James Bond Odyssey as we take a look at the film that is, effectively, Daniel Craig’s audition for the role. Layer Cake is a movie clearly influenced with the works of Guy Richie and Quentin Tarantino.  It makes sense, of course, because director Matthew Vaughn produced some of Guy Richie’s earlier work. Barb Lind joins us to delve into this film that has a few problems but is a heck of a lot of fun.

Next up, Barb will return to watch The Godfather

Layer Cake (2004)
Layer Cake poster Rating: 7.3/10 (198,560 votes)
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Writer: J.J. Connolly
Stars: Daniel Craig, Sienna Miller, Michael Gambon
Runtime: 105 min
Rated: R
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama
Released: 03 Jun 2005
Plot: A successful cocaine dealer gets two tough assignments from his boss on the eve of his planned early retirement.

Episode 88 – Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

, with special guest: ,

Snow White and the Seven DwarfsThis week we have two special guests who join us for the Disney classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Lana Rosario and David Tyler McKay join us with little more than childhood memories of orange soda.  After a viewing of the film, we discuss all the ways it might not work for some modern audiences but also all the ways this film changed the movie industry forever.  It is also important to note that we are talking about dwarfs.  Not dwarves.

Next up, we will watch The Quiet Man!

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs poster Rating: 7.6/10 (219,093 votes)
Director: William Cottrell, David Hand, Wilfred Jackson
Writer: Jacob Grimm, Wilhelm Grimm, Ted Sears
Stars: Adriana Caselotti, Harry Stockwell, Lucille La Verne
Runtime: 83 min
Rated: Approved
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Family
Released: 04 Feb 1938
Plot: Exiled into the dangerous forest by her wicked stepmother, a princess is rescued by seven dwarf miners who make her part of their household.

Episode 66 – Stagecoach

, with special guest:

StagecoachWe take a trip down Western lane with the John Wayne/John Ford classic, Stagecoach!  This film basically made a superstar out of Wayne and defined the western genre for the next several decades.  It features Ford’s favorite location – monument valley – as well as his favorite actor.  In addition to Wayne, the movie also stars a lot of very well known character actors including Andy Devine and John Carradine.  Interesting trivia: Wayne was not the first billed actor in this film.  That was Claire Trevor!

Our next movie will be the 2016 Best Picture winner, Spotlight!

Stagecoach (1939)
Stagecoach poster Rating: 7.8/10 (54,848 votes)
Director: John Ford
Writer: Ernest Haycox, Dudley Nichols, Ben Hecht
Stars: John Wayne, Claire Trevor, Andy Devine
Runtime: 96 min
Rated: Approved
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Western
Released: 03 Mar 1939
Plot: A group of people traveling on a stagecoach find their journey complicated by the threat of Geronimo and learn something about each other in the process.

Episode 62 – Dracula

, with special guest:

DraculaWe’ve been circling this one for a while.  Having watched Ed Wood, Plan 9 From Outer Space, and Horror of Dracula, it is finally time to look at the role that both defined and trapped Bela Lugosi: Dracula.  Our first Universal horror film and one of the best known, we took a look at this classic retelling of Bram Stoker’s novel.  After watching the movie, we talked about the careers of many of the actors, the legacy of Universal horror films and – as always – a bunch of other stuff.

Up next, we stick with classic horror and watch The Phantom of the Opera!

Dracula (1931)
Dracula poster Rating: 7.4/10 (59,966 votes)
Director: Tod Browning, Karl Freund
Writer: Bram Stoker, Hamilton Deane, John L. Balderston
Stars: Bela Lugosi, Helen Chandler, David Manners
Runtime: 75 min
Rated: Passed
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Released: 14 Feb 1931
Plot: Transylvanian vampire Count Dracula bends a naive real estate agent to his will, then takes up residence at a London estate where he sleeps in his coffin by day and searches for potential victims by night.

Episode 53 – Django Unchained

, with special guest:

Django UnchainedSince there was only one other Quentin Tarantino film unseen by Jena, we knew we had to get to it as quickly as possible.  After showing her Jackie Brown a month ago, we took a look at Django Unchained for this episode.  Tarantino does another pastiche of Westerns, Blaxploitation and, because it is Tarantino, a little bit of almost everything else.  We hope you enjoy our conversation!

Our next movie will be a return to the world of Akira Kurosawa – Yojimbo!

Django Unchained (2012)
Django Unchained poster Rating: 8.5/10 (1,726,877 votes)
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Writer: Quentin Tarantino
Stars: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio
Runtime: 165 min
Rated: R
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Western
Released: 25 Dec 2012
Plot: With the help of a German bounty-hunter, a freed slave sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal plantation owner in Mississippi.

Episode 50 – Godzilla

, with special guest: ,

GodzillaOur latest episode is so big, we couldn’t do it with just three hosts!  For our viewing of Godzilla, we brought in Matt Kessen, who is an expert on all things Godzilla.  We watched a man in a suit rampage through Tokyo and it was awesome!  We talk about the cultural impact of the film, the political undertones of the film, and we even fill Jena in about the super dumb shit they did in the American remakes.

Our next episode will be…something.  We haven’t figured it out yet.  You’ll be surprised!!!!

Godzilla (1954)
Godzilla poster Rating: 7.6/10 (41,364 votes)
Director: Ishirô Honda
Writer: Takeo Murata, Ishirô Honda, Shigeru Kayama
Stars: Takashi Shimura, Akihiko Hirata, Akira Takarada
Runtime: 96 min
Rated: Not Rated
Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi
Released: 07 May 2004
Plot: After a dinosaur-like beast - awoken from undersea hibernation by atom bomb testing - ravages Tokyo, a scientist must decide if his similarly dangerous weapon should be used to destroy it.

Episode 41 – L.A. Confidential

, with special guest:

L.A. ConfidentialFor our latest episode, we watch a modern take on classic noir as we watch L.A. Confidential. A not yet all star cast including Kevin Spacy, Kim Basinger, Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce headline this film that is recognized among film buffs but mostly forgotten by others.  We hope you take the time to check out this movie if you aren’t already a fan.

Our next episode will be recorded live at the Trylon theater on Sunday, February 22nd.  We’ll be watching Murder on the Orient Express!

L.A. Confidential (1997)
L.A. Confidential poster Rating: 8.2/10 (625,783 votes)
Director: Curtis Hanson
Writer: James Ellroy, Brian Helgeland, Curtis Hanson
Stars: Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce
Runtime: 138 min
Rated: R
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Released: 19 Sep 1997
Plot: As corruption grows in 1950s Los Angeles, three policemen - one strait-laced, one brutal, and one sleazy - investigate a series of murders with their own brand of justice.