It's time for our best of the year list and we've brought in our pals Brok and Kelly to join us. We cover quite the variety of favorites for the year and come up with some interesting number ones.

This week on the podcast we're discussing films that we go to during the holiday season that might not be your typical holiday fare. We've got stuff ranging from Lord of the Rings to Grumpy Cat.

Throughout the year there are films that just get away from us, so we decided to make an entire episode about the films we missed. We talk films like Oddity, Iron Giant, Bottoms, Barbarian, and more.

In our latest, we discuss the various ways in which we've engaged with media to escape the current political landscape. Some of us took to tabletop as our escape, while others found solace in the warm embrace of the Mighty Boosh. Satisfactory gets a mention, as does Doc Martin. Some good recommendations and discussions here you won't want to miss.

Awhile back we recorded an episode where we recast the Fast Five film with the muppets, allowing for only one real actor. It was a hoot and a half coming up with our selections and revealing them to each other. Just know that no muppets were harmed in the recording of this episode.

Streamed this episode a few months back and it features a bit of a random assortment of media. We talk about Dune 2, how horrible Halo was, Yellowjackets, and Snufkin. And fun was had by all in the talking. Join us, won't you?

As part of our new format going into 2024 we opened the floor to other forms of entertainment that weren't just films. The result is this episode where we discuss the Robocop video game, Reacher Season 2, Slow Horses, and the Nier Automata orchestral soundtrack.

This was our 2023 Year in Review that we broadcast on youtube at the beginning of the year. We covered a lot of different types of media and it was a blast.

This week we've got quite the tearjerker for you...if you are into that sort of thing. Unfortunately we were not. That's right folks, we're reviewing Beaches as part of our Bette Midler retrospective. Apologies in advance if you loved or find close attachment to this particular piece of cinema, but we didn't connect on any level. Sure, Bette Midler is great. She's always great. Heck, her play about "Otto Titsling" is amazing.  Even the set design slaps. It's just not enough. As always, we had fun working through what worked and what didn't and hope you'll join us on this journey...to the beach.

After another delay (life, eh?) we're back with another exciting episode of Behind the Hype. We're moving on from our lackluster horror b-sides month to something completely different in the best way. This month it's all about Bette Midler. To kick off her awesome filmography we've got the film "Ruthless People," which was quite a blast but definitely flew under some of our radars. Join us to hear about this darkly comedic film and then go check it out as well. You'll be glad you did.

This week we wrap up our month of "Horror B-Sides" with John Carpenter's Ghost of Mars. Okay, cards on the table. When we first thought about doing a month of movies like this, we were hoping to find some hidden gems or uncover some inexplicable blind spots. That was not the case and it's clear to see why this film - and the others that came before it - are considered "b-sides." There's stuff to like in this movie, don't get us wrong. It's just...well...you'll have to listen for yourselves.

Growing tired of our lackluster choices so far this month, we here at Behind the Hype decided to try out a different horror filmmaker's b-sides to see if we might be able to turn this ship around. We chose Sam Raimi's "The Gift," which unfortunately was nowhere near as good as we had hoped and featured almost nothing that we could recognize as a Raimi'ism. It wasn't completely terrible and had some interesting bright spots, but it's certainly an odd duck in our month of odd duck films.

A creature feature with human-sized bugs eating people in subways seems like it was tailor-made for the talents of Guillermo Del Toro, but alas, that is not what we got. Mimic should have been so much better than it was, but its parts did not work together to create a cohesive whole. We break down all the things that didn't work, and point out some of the Del Toro staples that could have been so much more if...well...there had been so much more.

After a bit of a forced hiatus, we're back and excited to take a deep dive into what we think will be an awesome month of films. The theme is Horror B-Sides, and what that means is we're discussing some of the most famous horror directors and their "not-so-popular" fare. This week it's Wes Craven and his Voodoo Zombie Horror Film "The Serpent and the Rainbow." Is it a long-forgotten treasure or should it be dusted into oblivion and buried alive? Join us to find out.

This week on our show we brought in everyone's favorite "Zombie Dog" Matt Dykes to talk about the next film in our Richard Donner retrospective: "Lethal Weapon 2." We had a lot to talk about with this one, from the shoddy police work on display to the scene stealing/chewing Joe Pesci to the very nebulous villains hiding behind their diplomatic immunity. Fun film and equally fun conversation so let's get right to it.

For many of the millennial persuasion, Richard Donner is the guy who directed Superman, which in turn introduced us to the great Christopher Reeve.  Due to a lot of bullshit that is well-documented elsewhere, he was removed from the sequel and Richard Lester was brought in to take his place as director. That version of the film is the version we all grew up with and for the most part loved. And then The Donner Cut came along and gave us insight into what could have been and the results are...also very damn good. We go into all of this and more so let's not waste another minute.

Richard Donner had quite the film career in his lifetime and we wanted to honor that by spending a month reflecting on some of his best films (and one film he got to re-edit after it was cruelly taken away from him). We kick things off with his first critical and commercial breakthrough, "The Omen," starring Gregory Peck as a diplomat / ambassador whose son may or may not be (but totally is) the Antichrist. It's a well-paced horror film that never overstays its welcome, and it manages to pepper a few shocking kills throughout its runtime. That's not to say the film is without its share of flaws, and we go into those as well. An overall compelling start to our month honoring the late Richard Donner.

Ending our month of Jackie Chan is the film "Rush Hour," which totally doesn't hold up after all these years and is a bit of a frustrating watch. Probably would have been better to go with something like "The Foreigner" or literally anything else in his filmography. That said, there were a few things that we liked and it brought about a great wrap up discussion about the actor and just how diverse his body of work is.

Our Jackie Chan retrospective resumes with the absolutely goofball "Rumble in the Bronx," and we mean that in the most positive way possible. Sure, the plot is awful, but you're not watching one of these for the plot. You are? Really? Anyway, the action is top notch and thoroughly exciting and the third act is absolutely hilarious, if nonsensical. You owe it to yourself to check out this movie (and our episode on it) if you haven't.

This week we continue our month on Jackie Chan with the film that fans consider to be one of his best: Police Story. Chan himself also considers it to be one of his best in terms of action and stunts, and the film itself launched many sequels. We have a bit more nuanced of a take on the film, finding some of the plotting to be ridiculous and a frustrating distraction from the truly great action scenes. Specifically, we take some umbrage with the court scenes and the appalling acceptance of shady evidence. We have a lot of fun getting into the particulars of this fun movie so hit that play button and join us for a look behind the hype of Jackie Chan's Police Story.

We're back from our hiatus and ready to jump into some serious discussion about a super serious actor who only makes super serious films. Just kidding. It's Jackie Chan month and we're kicking off perhaps our most fun month yet talking about the hilarious and wonderfully choreographed Drunken Master. What's perhaps the most impressive is how on point Chan's comedic timing is and how much charisma he exudes onscreen. If you haven't watched it yet stop what you're doing, watch it, and then join us.

We end our month of "Snyder Cuts" with THE Snyder Cut. That's right, we're talking about Zack Snyder's Justice League, which had the unfortunate task of building an entire league of superheroes in 4 hours and somehow did it better than anyone could have possibly imagined. Naturally, we had to have an extra-long podcast to discuss how this all happened and why this film is proof positive that the world has been wrong about Zack Snyder. And naturally, we had to bring Matt "Zombie Dog" Dykes back to help. Guys, let's talk about some Justice League!

It's a bird! It's a plane. No, it's our deep dive into Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice: Ultimate Edition. BvS is the film that really kicked the anti-Snyder sentiment into high gear, and we try to grapple with why that is while pointing out that the movie in its extended form is actually quite good. The acting is top notch, and the re-inserted scenes with Clark give him a story arc and explain just why things happen the way they happen. Don't believe the hype on this one...the movie is actually good. Let's talk about it, shall we?

Special thanks to Matt "Zombie Dog" Dykes for joining us to talk about the film. 

This week on the show we're continuing our deep dive into the "Snyder Cuts" by looking at a film that could have really used a longer cut - Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'hoole. As you watch the film you can see why Zack Snyder directed this. Beautiful landscapes, vivid characters, punchy pop songs - it's all there! The big problem is that it's an adaptation of a popular children's book series, and like with most of these things, the problems stem from trying to cram as much stuff in as short a runtime as possible. Still enjoyable? Find out in the episode!

This week we're taking a look at perhaps one of the most hated films in the Zack Snyder filmography: Sucker Punch. It's been dismissed as exploitative, and has been derided for its depiction of women. It also features more special effects, explosions, and those darn slow-mo shots people keep making fun of all the time online. So, what if we told you that the Extended Cut solves most, if not all of those problems, and that maybe some of those problems were but projections of an already biased audience? Let's get into it, shall we?

Here at Behind the Hype we've decided that it's time to take a deep dive into one of the more divisive filmmakers out there today: Zack Snyder. People either love his work or hate it, and no matter where you fall on that spectrum you can't deny that he is a visionary filmmaker. We're going to be discussing his "Snyder Cuts" this month, starting this week with his "director's cut" of Dawn of the Dead. 

The DC isn't all that much longer than the theatrical version and it doesn't significantly change the quality of the movie, but it's an indicator of what's to come for this filmmaker and hopefully gives some insight into how he approaches his films. Special shoutout to James Gunn, who wrote the film and paired so well with Snyder. Seriously, they should work together again.

While we're sad to bring our month of Showa Era Godzilla films to a close, we're glad we picked Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla as our last film to discuss. It's got ape-like aliens trying to conquer earth, interpol agents disguised as muckraking journalists, a musical number, and a monster named King Caesar who helps Godzilla kick the ever-loving ish out of the titular villain. Try not to grin like a goof-ball at any given moment. We dare you.

Also in this episode we discuss plans for next month. Here's a hint: Director's Cuts.

The next film in our month of Showa Era Godzilla films is Destroy All Monsters, which features all your favorite monsters and then some as they terrorize all the major cities of the world. But what has caused them to go on such a unified rampage? Aliens. That's right, an all-women race of aliens called the Kilaaks have bent all the monsters to their will and it's up to a fearless space captain to set things right. To say that this film is a blast is a bit of an understatement. It may not be as uniquely humorous as Son of Godzilla, but it's still a great time at the movies.

We continue our delightful dive into the Showa Era Godzilla films this week with the energetic Son of Godzilla. It's a cheeseball film that delights in the silly antics of its titular character and only really manages to stumble when it comes to the human story. The costumes, props, puppets, and miniatures are in top form here and it's hard to not watch this with a grin on your face. This one goes out to all you reporters out there who parachute to mysterious islands to find the big stories.

Godzilla is such a pop culture icon that we thought it would be a great idea to dive into some of his more iconic outings this month on Behind the Hype, starting with the third film in the series: King Kong vs. Godzilla. Apart from one problem spot, the film is quite a delight and features everything fun you would expect from a showdown of two pop culture titans.

We've reached the end of our month on Sion Sono and to wrap things up we've picked quite the heavy film: Guilty of Romance. There's a lot to unpack with this film, about the role of women in Japanese society and the lengths they will go to break free from said pressures, or in some cases become consumed by them. As we were short a woman on this episode to give some perspective we tried to instead focus on the things we learned from the film and the themes that resonated with us versus trying to speak to Japanese culture and how it treats women.

Due to some version confusion we had to push our review of Guilty of Romance to next week. In its place we're going to talk about the movie that put Sion Sono on the map for western audiences: Suicide Club. It's difficult to summarize the movie and do the horrific imagery and biting commentary justice, but we do our best. Just the opening few minutes of the movie should clue you in on the doozy of a film you're about to experience.

Our Sion Sono retrospective continues with the rap opera Tokyo Tribe, a doozy of a film that starts out rough and then ends with one hell of a punchline. It features a cast of fascinating and colorful characters that sing their way through bouts of ultra-violence. It features perhaps one of the most fun and over-the-top villains we've seen yet on this podcast. And if that weren't enough, it features the daughter of a satanic high priest kicking all kinds of ass with her banana-eating kid sidekick. Have we convinced you to watch the film yet?

We're back from our break and we thought it would be a great idea to kick things off with a retrospective on director Sion Sono. You might remember him from our episode on the-hype.simplecast.com/episodes/5fe5b8a9">Why Don't You Play In Hell. Yeah, that guy. Anyway, we're starting with his 2015 film Tag, featuring perhaps one of the most surprising openings to be put to film. Seriously, you might want to be sitting down for this one.

Of course, with a filmmaker like this it's worth looking into the themes he plays in and we found an interesting article to be our guiding star through this month.

You sitting down yet? Good. Now watch out for the wind. 

We close out our month of That Wasn't The F**king Plan with the best movie out of the four we talked about, although that's not saying much: The Emperor's New Groove. It's a strange film in the Disney archive, fraught with all kinds of production drama. We talk a bit about what the original plan was, and then try to figure out where things went wrong. We also note how the film has a great third act and how Kronk probably should have been the star considering how much of the movie he stole from everyone else.

This also marks the end of Behind the Hype for 2020. We'll be back a little bit later in the new year with more zany retrospectives that challenge how we think about films and the filmmakers who work on them.

You'd think that a movie about a filmmaker at war with himself that took ten years to make would be more interesting, but here we are. We're discussing Terry Gilliam's The Man Who Killed Don Quixote and let's just say that we had a lot of issues with it. Are we talking about an unwatchable dumpster fire of epic proportions? No. Not even close. It's just a very messy production that shows its seams at every turn and ends up being more boring than bad. If you like early Gilliam you won't find much of him here and that's a shame. The performances are good, but what would you expect from the likes of Jonathan Pryce and Adam Driver? We talk about all that and more in this week's episode.

This week in our month of "That Wasn't The Fking Plan" we're talking about the David Ayer film Suicide Squad. The David Ayer film Suicide Squad is what we're talking about this week as we deep dive into films that weren't part of the Fking Plan." As we dive into movies that didn't turn out the way they were planned, we thought it would be proper to talk about the David Ayer film Suicide Squad.

Okay, I think that hammers home the point that Suicide Squad takes forever to get out of its introduction and never gets fully out of its own ass. Oh yeah, we brought in our Matt Dykes to help us talk about the absolute "trash fire" film Suicide Squad. We have a lot of fun, but there's no more time for these shownotes so just know we tear the movie a new asshole. Cheers.

That wasn't the f**kin plan! This month is all about the screw ups, the garbage fires, the things that didn't turn out the way they were initially intended. We're kicking off this month with the garbage film Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker and diving into all the things that went wrong with it. Turns out there's a lot. Now, before you - a Rise of Skywalker fan - get all huffy, we had one or two things that we liked about the film and we made sure to give those points their due. On the whole, however, we found the film to be bantha poo-doo. Enjoy our rant and may the force be with you!

Happy Thanksgiving! We know it's a bit tough this year around the holidays so we decided to invite you into our homes figuratively to talk about the last film in our Hugo Weaving retrospective: The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. It's a great film filled with amazing performances. There's a lot to love here and we talk about it all. The film does struggle to stick the landing with one character deadnaming another, and guys, that's a fucking bummer. Consider this a bit of a caution as you proceed with both the movie and our discussion of the scene.

Stay safe out there, everyone, and enjoy our episode!

We continue this roller coaster month of Hugo Weaving films with Last Ride, a father and son road trip movie that's as dour as it is excellent. Weaving gives a stellar performance here as Kev, an abusive father with almost no likeable or redeemable qualities. Almost. Somehow, despite an entire movie of being an absolute shit, you still feel bad for the guy and his situation. And Tom Russell is no slouch either, playing the son Chook. With their powers combined, they really make us miserable, and that's a good thing. Is this film a great idea during these challenging times? Maybe not. But you owe it to yourself to see a movie that does right by its genre.

Unfortunately we've got a bit of a downgrade this week as we talk about Mortal Engines for our month of Hugo Weaving. There are things to like here, the setting being the chief among them. It's an interesting world with some equally interesting lore, and it all looks absolutely gorgeous. Where the film loses us is with everything else. The plot is bland and at times nonsensical, and no one is giving much in the way of their performance. Hugo Weaving has almost nothing to work with here with his first draft villain Valentine, and line reads that should play with gravitas just fall flat. The leads have no chemistry, which makes the eventual "falling in love" that's required of all YA feel like it comes out of left field. We discuss plenty more about it, but you'll have to listen to find out what we say.

Remember, remember! The Fifth of November...for it is the beginning of Hugo Weaving Month here at Behind the Hype. To kick things off we're starting with the flawed V For Vendetta, which boasts great performances from Weaving and others (see: Creedy), while not necessarily aging all that well. It's tough to root for a a character who gaslights and tortures the female protagonist (Evey, played by Natalie Portman) in a movie with already so few women in it. Doesn't help either that the character of Evey is so passive. That said, the Wachowskis wrote the script and you can feel their hand in a lot of what transpires onscreen.

We decided to wrap up our Jamie Lee Curtis retrospective by reviewing the classic horror film Prom Night, the film that has inspired many horror movies since it was released and continues to inspire today. What did we think about it? Well, perhaps we should have watched Terror Train instead? There's some interesting stuff in Prom Night to be sure, but so much of it is either boring or just doesn't work or is just plain confusing. We even brought in our pal Matt Dykes to help us work through this thing and he had similar problems.

But hey, if there's anything we learned from this it is that Jamie Lee Curtis is a cinematic treasure. If nothing else, watch the movie for her...and then watch Terror Train.

We continue our Jamie Lee Curtis retrospective with Halloween H20: 20 Years Later, her celebrated return to both the horror genre and this franchise in particular. We have a lot to say about the film as it's quite flawed and makes some odd choices throughout. The body count is low, and the mask changes partway through the film into something you might find at a pop up Halloween store. The film introduces Josh Hartnett and his messy hair baggy clothes combo to the world, and we see a young Joseph Gordon-Levitt get a skate to the face. Everything with Jamie Lee Curtis is quite good and she makes a traumatized Laurie Strode believable. Worth watching? Listen to find out.

We're traveling back in time to 1994 to talk about True Lies, James Cameron's take on Bond starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and our lady of the month Jamie Lee Curtis. It's quite the adventure, filled to the brim with action, humor, and fun performances from everyone involved. The only weak link is Tom Arnold, but he manages to hold on to the harrier jet, as it were.

To assist us in our review of such a classic film we invited our pal Matt Dykes onto the show to give us his perspective.

October has arrived, and we decided it would be a great idea to do a retrospective on the top scream queen herself - Jamie Lee Curtis. We start the month with her most recent turn in the Rian Johnson film Knives Out. It's a tightly-paced and well-written whodunnit with really fun performances. And even though Jamie Lee Curtis doesn't have as much screen time as we would have liked, she commands every moment and makes this a great way to start our month.

We made it to the end of our very enlightening Eve Stewart retrospective and to celebrate we're discussing the divisive Tom Hooper spectacle Cats. There's a lot to love in this film, and there's a lot to hate, and really it boils down to how easy it is for you to get past Rebel Wilson and James Corden's abysmal performances. Production design here is stellar - big surprise - but Tom Hooper tries his best to focus on other things. Bad Hooper. Bad. All that said, is the film worth watching? Hit that play button and we'll tell you.

Thank you for your patience! This week we're back to talk about De-Lovely, the next film in our Eve Stewart retrospective. It's about the musical icon Cole Porter, played with zest by Kevin Kline, as he re-lives the best and worst of his life at the behest of the angel Gabriel (Jonathan Pryce). The film features songs written by Cole Porter, all sung by popular modern musicians. But the question remains: is the film any good?

It's...charming, but never quite reaches "great." The real MVP of the film is Eve Stewart and her production design. It's breathtaking, and quickly overshadows everything else in the film. Join us, won't you?

The next film in our Eve Stewart retrospective is the Gore Verbinski horror thriller A Cure For Wellness, starring Dane DeHaan, Mia Goth, and Jason Isaacs. The film is a clunky mess, suffering from logic problems as well as a problematic third act. What saves it for us is Stewart's exceptional production design, which gives the film an atmosphere and mood that makes us want to keep watching despite the significant script problems. We go into all of this and more in the episode, so don't wait another minute to hit that play button on your podcast player of choice.

A new month brings us a new filmmaker and for September we decided to breakdown the lively career of production designer Eve Stewart, starting with 2002's Nicholas Nickleby, starring Charlie Hunnam, Jamie Bell, and Christopher Plummer. It's a film that's exceptionally designed and looks absolutely gorgeous, but that has almost nothing else going for it. The performances are fine, but the tone of the film oscillates so much between farce and prestige period drama that it's hard to really connect to anything the actors are doing. And don't get us started about couches being dragged outside of houses for leisure. Did we mention that the film is gorgeous?

So I guess this is hello and welcome to this week's episode of Behind the Hype, where we're talking about Superstar, starring the amazing and hilarious Molly Shannon. You want to do what? Now? Well, sure. We should warn you that what follows is a very quotable film that transcends its sketches on SNL and provides some genuine laughs. It may not be as good or considered to be a classic quite like the rest of the movies we discussed this month, but it was very entertaining.

We also discuss the Marry Katherine Gallagher sketches that inspired the movie, and Macgruber...which was rough.

It's Wayne's World, Wayne's World! Party On! Excellent. Wew wew wew weewwwww! In a month of SNL films, it was only a matter of time before we discussed this cultural touchstone of a film and give it the effusive praise that it deserves. And a podcast about one of the best SNL films wouldn't be nearly as awesome without a special guest. We're joined (for the first time since our rebrand as Behind the Hype) by Brok Holliday from Damage Boost. He's the choice of a new generation.

We also discuss some of the SNL shorts that inspired the film, and dove into a brief discussion about how the Wayne's World sketches worked better overall and had a better transition to film than the Conehead ones and the Blues Brothers musical numbers.

Greetings Earthlings. We come to you from the planet Remulak to provide mass quantities of discourse around the film known as Coneheads, starring Dan Aykroyd, Jane Curtin, and a myriad of fun SNL cameos. It's a movie that's held up remarkably well, and has in fact gotten better as the years have progressed. There's an earnestness to the absurdity that becomes endearing and it's hard not to fall in love with this picture as you watch it. Can you believe that people didn't care for this movie when it came out? We're a bit surprised, too.

For our Where Have They Been Doing segment we go back and watch a few of the original Conehead sketches to get a sense of the movie's origins, and we gotta say that the movie did a great job adapting to the big screen.

We're doing something a little bit different from our usual "filmmaker of the month" and taking a deep dive into the Saturday Night Live library of films. To start off we've got our sights set on the absolute best of the bunch, the cream of the crop: The Blues Brothers, featuring stellar performances from Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi, and a whole slew of cameos that will put a smile on your face. Prepare to laugh out loud at the excessive police car damage, and groove along to some exceptional music from some exceptional musicians.

To finish up our month of Taika Waititi we talk his most recent film Jojo Rabbit. It's certainly a weird one, but we love it all the same. The acting is superb, the sets and costumes are powerful, and the comedy works well to offset the rather dark subject matter. We have a few quibbles here and there, but overall this one is a must see and we can't recommend it highly enough.

We don't really have much of a "Where Have They Been Doing" other than watching more of What We Do in the Shadows. Turns out we covered most of his other films in the previous weeks.

The trajectory continues upward in our month of Taika Waititi as we discuss Hunt for the Wilderpeople. There's a lot to love in this movie and we struggle to come up with any significant complaints. Sam Neill, Julian Dennison, Rachel House, and frickin' Rhys Darby all give stellar performances, and even the director himself pops in for a bit to play perhaps the worst (or best) priest I've ever seen committed to screen. Wilderpeople also continues the trend of showcasing a New Zealand that's more than just Hobbit holes, although the movie makes a clever LOTR reference that nearly did this shownotes writer in.

Talk about a jump in quality! This week in our Taika Waititi retrospective we discuss Boy, his feature-length follow-up to Eagle vs. Shark set in New Zealand in 1984. It's a story about overcoming grief, growing up, and being there for your family, all told from the point of view of the title character. Taika has a larger role in this film compared to the last and his energetic and comedic touch REALLY work. Could say more, but you should probably just dive into the episode. 

We also talk Team Thor, Team Thor Part 2, and his Flight of the Concords episode "New Zealand Town," all of which are pretty funny but maybe don't pop in the way we've come to expect from a Taika Waititi venture.

A new month means a new filmmaker, so for this month we're talking Taika. We begin with his feature length debut Eagle Vs. Shark, which at first glance looks like the next Napoleon Dynamite. Instead it's much more down to earth and features characters that are more than just dorky caricatures. Doesn't mean the film is without flaws and we note that were this movie made today it would end quite differently.

We also talk Thor Ragnarok, which provides an interesting look at the filmmaker and gives us a little bit of an idea about what to expect for the rest of the month. Boy, oh boy, are we in for a treat.

We end our John Singleton month with Four Brothers, a movie that never quite finds its tone and never really hits its stride. It's a well-directed movie, and the acting is fun across the board, but the script drags the experience down by playing more to caricature than to character. We also discuss his entry in the Fast series: 2 Fast 2 Furious and why despite his obvious skill as a director, he was not right for the job. Toward the end of the podcast we wrap up our thoughts on the month and what we found interesting about his career. There's quite a journey from Boyz in the Hood to Four Brothers.

We take a bit of a turn in our John Singleton retrospective with the film Shaft, not to be confused with Shaft, or the more recent film Shaft. It's a film that features a lot of dirty cops and dirtier criminals and the sum of all these interesting parts leave us feeling uncomfortable. It's a film that features the line "It is my duty to please the booty" along side a frat boy version of Patrick Bateman beating a black man to death and getting away with it. Well, at least until the end of the movie. There's a lot here, and while some of it doesn't quite work, and awhile some of it is tough to watch in 2020, it stands out as another strong piece of filmmaking from John Singleton.

This week in our John Singleton retrospective we're discussing his sophomore film Poetic Justice, starring Janet Jackson and Tupac Shakur. There's a lot here to like. In fact, there's a lot here in general. The film doesn't feel nearly as focused as his previous but despite that feels very unique and very personal. The leads do marvelous work here, especially Tupac, and for those of us who are only familiar with him by name it's enough to make us want to look into the rest of his career.

We also briefly discuss Abduction, starring Taylor Lautner. It's not good, but John Singleton does what he can and his direction makes you wish that he had been given a Bond or Bourne film instead of this well-directed clunker.

In light of the current political climate we decided it would be best to educate ourselves and expand our perspectives. To do this we chose director John Singleton as our filmmaker this month, who gave us the intense and illuminating Boyz n the Hood. Everything about the film was astounding and took us out of our comfort zone. It was wild seeing the talent at play in front of the camera and behind it. If you haven't seen this film yet, please do so before listening. Join us in widening our perspective.

We survived the month of May and now it's time to say goodbye to our man JT. Well, until we watch another one of his movies that is. Anyway, we decided the best way to end the month was by watching the romantic comedy Friends With Benefits. No...you're thinking of No Strings Attached. This is the other rom-com about two friends deciding to keep their sex casual while ultimately falling in love. It's actually kind of good, until you get to the third act. JT and costar Mila Kunis have chemistry all over the place and it's hard not being charmed by their relationship as it unfolds. A fun and worthwhile watch.

We also discuss Trolls and Wonder Wheel, two JT films that couldn't be farther apart on the quality spectrum. Spoiler alert: the animated one is your best bet.

Our month of May takes a bit of a downturn with the film In Time, which just can't seem to make up its mind what movie it wants to be. There are a few solid hooks throughout, but they never really pan out and never get much deeper than surface level. It's quite the frustrating watch, but the cast is strong and our main man JT continues to impress with his charisma and utter watchability, even if he struggles a little as the leading man. Really, we just wished this movie could have picked a path and stuck to it.

Our month of May continues with another winner for good ol' Justin Timberlake: The Social Network, from writer Aaron Sorkin and director David Fincher. There's so many things to love about this film, from the standout performances of everyone involved to the masterful score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. Obviously, our focus is on JT and his scene-stealing portrayal of Sean Parker, but everything else is just so dang good that we struggle to find much fault in the film.

We also talk about some of JT's older SNL sketches and performances for this week's "Where Have They Been Doing" segment.

IT'S GONNA BE MAAAAYYYY! That's right. We're talking about Justin Timberlake in the month of May because we couldn't help ourselves, and like...why not? To start off, we're going to talk about the huge bummer known as Alpha Dog. But don't worry, it's not a bummer because of quality; it's just going to completely and thoroughly bum you out. Justin proves in this film that he's got some serious acting chops and we can't gush about his performance enough.

We also briefly discuss his voice work in the Trolls movie, which is pretty awesome and elevates a surprisingly not bad children's animated film. Let's get our May on!

To celebrate our last week of ScarJo month we're discussing perhaps one of the worst of the MCU fare, the film that put Scarlett on our radars and Black Widow in our hearts. That's right, we're talking about Iron Man 2. It...doesn't hold up, but not for lack of trying. You've got Robert Downey Jr. in top form, Sam Rockwell killing it as usual, and Scarlett Johansson kicking ass and taking names. You've even got Mickey Rourke in there hamming it up as the villain and despite having a bit of a mangled role, he manages to make an entrance.

We also discuss Ghost World and Jo Jo Rabbit in brief, as well as try to figure out why this month's selections were all over the map quality-wise. It's a great episode that wraps up a really fun month.

Our strange ScarJo retrospective takes a turn for the better as we discuss the Jonathan Glazer film Under the Skin. It's quite a bit different from the other movies of hers we've seen this month and it's a far cry from her more action-heavy roles. The thing is, it works and her performance really makes this thing pop. If anything, the experiential nature of the film loses a bit in the watch from home. We get into that as well as discuss some of the themes that stood out in the movie, so you probably want to hit that play button ASAP.

We continue our trek upward in our month of ScarJo and reach the Luc Besson oddity Lucy, which we didn't mind as much this time around. Sure, there are a lot of flaws in this film and as soon as we start tugging at those loose threads the whole thing falls apart, but ScarJo is good in this, Morgan Freeman is entertaining, and the car chase sequence is rather exciting (even if she could have just flown over all the cars).

We also discuss The Avengers briefly, and ScarJo's run as Black Widow. She has fun in the role, but there's a particular scene that's a bit of a sticking point for our hosts. Anyway, there's a lot here so come join us, won't you?

First Rough Night and then Girl With A Pearl Earring. We swear we didn't intend to review two clunkers back to back in our month of ScarJo, but here we are. Truth be told, Girl With A Pearl Earring isn't a bad film and in fact has some really good moments in it. The problem is that everything surrounding those good moments is just...boring. You'll be happy to know, however, that the painting remains a masterpiece.

We also briefly discuss The Island, from director Michael Bay, and Sing, from Illumination. There's a lot here, so don't waste another minute and hit play on this bad boy.

A new month means a new subject for our retrospective series, and this month we've chosen ScarJo. That's right. We're following the varied career of Scarlett Johansson. First film on the docket: Rough Night, a movie that tests her comedic acumen and finds her wanting. It's not like her performance is bad, it's just that she has nothing to do and doesn't have any moments that really push her to do anything anyone in the world would consider funny. We had a rough time with Rough Night, folks.

We wrap up our month of Dede Allen with a bit of a flop, and for that Jon apologizes. We're talking The Final Cut, starring Robin Williams, Jim Caviezel, and Mira Sorvino. You would think based off the talent alone that we were in for a treat, but you would be mistaken. The movie is more interested in raising questions than answering them, and after awhile it becomes painfully tedious. Production design is sound, and of course Dede Allen edits the hell out of it.

Bryan and Chewie also discuss 1991's The Adams Family, which ended up being way more entertaining and featured some really fun editing.

This week in our Dede Allen retrospective we take a sharp left turn from the tense crime dramas of Bonnie and Clyde and Dog Day Afternoon to the leisurely paced stage musical adaptation of The Wiz. It's quite the shift and the results are...mixed. There's a lot to like here, from the imaginative sets, to the strong choreography and impressive musical numbers. There's also a lot that has us scratching our heads like the rough lighting and that unbearably slow dance number in the middle just before meeting the Wiz. Join us as we attempt to unpack what worked and what didn't for us and enjoy a wholly unique and compelling take on The Wizard of Oz.

Our month of Dede Allen continues as we dive into the film that earned her an Oscar nomination for her powerful editing - Dog Day Afternoon. There are so many amazing things about this film, from Sidney Lumet's masterful direction to Al Pacino's intense performance, but it's Allen's pacing that really shines here for us. She takes a movie with relatively low action and raises the stakes by cutting at just the right time, or in some cases not cutting at all. With so many stand out moments, it was tough to pick a favorite.

Jon also had the chance to check out The Missouri Breaks, which caps off this series of movies about criminals nicely, although when the film came out no one was having it. But check it, the film stars Jack Nicholson, Marlon Brando (rocking an Irish accent like whoa), Randy Quaid, Harry Dean Stanton, and features music by John Williams.

Finally, we discuss some fun movies to pair this with and Chewie blows our minds with a startling revelation.

This month we shift gears from the wacky antics of Joe Dante to the potent editing prowess of Dede Allen, and what better way to do this than with the 1967 movie Bonnie and Clyde, a masterpiece of editing and style that takes its cues from the French New Wave and gives us a sharp and energetic look at the famous duo. Beatty and Dunaway are absolutely iconic and are joined by a fun ensemble including a young Gene Hackman and a young Gene Wilder.

Friends, we're in for a treat this coming month!

We bring our month of Joe Dante films to a close with probably one of the weaker films in his arsenal: Burying the Ex. Despite the letdown, there's still a lot to like here. Anton Yelchin, may he rest in peace, brings energy and nuance to a character that's difficult to love, and Alexandra Daddario and Ashley Greene steal the show with characters that are awesome, three-dimensional, and written well. It's the little things that bring the movie down like the brother and some awkward plotting and logic. Is it worth the watch? We give you the scoop.

We also discuss Looney Tunes: Back in Action, as well as the "It's A Good Life" segment out of The Twilight Zone movie, both of which are quite fun and really showcase that Dante chaos we've come to enjoy through our month of Dante.

What an absolute treat this month has been.

This week we talk about a film that no one really saw: Matinee, starring John Goodman as a William Castle / Alfred Hitchcock hybrid who brings his B-movie "Mant!" to a small theater in Key West, Florida during the Cuban Missile Crisis. What ensues is a fun, if a bit subdued, romp through B-movie nostalgia featuring the usual Dante players as well as a fun performance from Cathy Moriarty - who you may or may not know as the villain from Casper (1995). There's also a greaser who writes poetry who terrorizes the protagonists dressed up as an ant, and Goodman's monologue about the "first monster movie" provides a wonderful thesis for the film. Are you ready to Dante?

We continue our month of Joe Dante with a look at perhaps one of the zanier films in his filmography - Gremlins 2: The New Batch. There's so much to love here, from the wonderful puppet design to the brilliant and comedic turn from Christopher Lee. Dante even got Chuck Jones to do the intro to the film, which should tell you everything else you need to know.

We also briefly discuss his film Small Soldiers and get into some of the hype surrounding that film. There's a lot of discussion packed into this episode so be sure to keep your Mogwai hidden away in a cool, dry place (preferably with Rambo playing on a nearby TV) before settling down to listen to this week's episode.

We've tweaked our podcast formula a bit and are proud to present to you the first episode of "Behind the Hype," which looks back through a filmmaker's career to examine their early or more obscure works. Every month we'll tackle a different filmmaker, covering at least four of their movies. This month we're delving into the career of Joe Dante with his first film Hollywood Boulevard, from 1976. We also briefly discuss the short "French Ventriloquist's Dummy" from the 1987 film Amazon Women on the Moon.

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...

STAR WARSEPISODE IIIREVENGE OF THE SITH

It is a time of great rejoicing as we've made it to the last and best episode of the prequel trilogy, and as such have ended our journey through all the Star Wars films. How does this one hold up compared to the others? Well, it looks great, and has one of the best lightsaber fights of the saga. Does it break our heart in other areas? Absolutely.

THEME MUSIC COURTESYBRADLEY DAVID PARSONS

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...

STAR WARSEPISODE IIATTACK OF THE CONES

It's a very confusing time for Padme, coming into her own and embracing the Autassassinophiliac within her. And Anakin is dealing with...stuff. But hey, Kamino is pretty cool, and that third act is quite riveting, and we get to see Yoda do lightsaber fighting. I mean, at the end of the day it's not a TOTAL loss, right? Right?

Right?

THEME MUSIC COURTESY BRADLEY DAVID PARSONS

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...

STAR WARSEPISODE ITHE PHANTOM MENACE

It's a time of great hope, for a new Star Wars approaches after years of nothing but the original trilogy. Fans flock to the theaters in droves to see the origins of Darth Vader...and they get a Trade Federation? Gungans? Committees? Senators? Chancellors? Cool pod race, though. And Ewan Mcgregor really knocks it out of the park as Obi-Wan Kenobi. 

THEME MUSIC COURTESY BRADLEY DAVID PARSONS

WE DID IT! We reached our 300th episode! To celebrate this momentous occasion we decided to something completely on-the-nose and unsubtle and review Zack Snyder's 300...which is also on-the-nose and unsubtle! And fun was had by all. Oh, and also Happy Thanksgiving!

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...

STAR WARSEPISODE VIRETURN OF THE JEDI

It's 1983, and fans eagerly line up to see the conclusion to the trilogy, with expectations soaring high. What they get causes some distress. Swashbuckling? Ewoks? Silly humor? Well, yeah. It's the perfect distillation of everything we liked from the first two movies, and quite possibly the best way to end the trilogy. Of course, some additions have been made over the years that have made this chapter difficult to enjoy. Join us as we discuss Return of the Jedi!

THEME MUSIC COURTESY BRADLEY DAVID PARSONS

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...

STAR WARSEPISODE VTHE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

It  is a dark time for the rebellion...but a pretty friggin' sweet time for us because we get to talk about The Empire Strikes Back, easily the best Star Wars film ever made. If the last movie captured our imaginations, this one captured our hearts. It cemented our fandom and gave us the best ship in the galaxy: Han and Leia. It also gave us Yoda, Lando Calrissian, Lobot, and perhaps the biggest surprise this side of the galaxy. There's a reason why this one sits at the top of many SW fan lists. So join us, won't you?

THEME MUSIC COURTESY BRADLEY DAVID PARSONS

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...

STAR WARSEPISODE IVA NEW HOPE

It is a time of great nostalgia! Bryan, Chewie, Jon, and Emily come together to discuss the movie that changed history and made us the geeks we are today. We talk about our first introduction to the movie and what makes it so special to us. We also look ahead to the upcoming Rise of Skywalker in the hope that the final chapter will properly close the saga.

SHOWNOTES:

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN DOING?

BRYAN - Current Arrow-verse seasonJON - Sleeping BeautiesCHEWIE - Annabelle Comes Home, Pet SemataryEMILY - Stephen Universe

THEME MUSIC COURTESY BRADLEY DAVID PARSONS

Happy Halloween from the good(?) folk over at Silver Shamrock. That's right! We're talking Halloween 3: Season of the Witch, the only entry in the Halloween franchise that doesn't feature the iconic antagonist Michael Myers. And what better time to talk about it than on Halloween itself. Special thanks to Brok from Damage Boost for joining us.

SHOWNOTES:

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN DOING?

BRYAN - JokerJON - The Tower of SwallowsCHEWIE - Blade Trinity, Dolemite is my NameBROK - Time Trap, We Were Here

THEME MUSIC COURTESY BRADLEY DAVID PARSONS

This week on the podcast Bryan, Chewie, and Jon discuss the delightfully bonkers Japanese Horror Comedy film House, written and directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi with input by his daughter Chigumi. Truly, it's a movie that has to be seen to be believed and it's quite the treat. We recommend going in as blind as you can, and if you haven't seen it before our episode, do so and then resume. We're anxious to talk about it with you!

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN DOING?

BRYAN - Assassins Creed OdysseyJON - Fleabag S1&2CHEWIE - Blade Trinity, Dolittle

THEME MUSIC COURTESY BRADLEY DAVID PARSONS

This week in our month of horror Bryan takes us back to Camp Crystal Lake to hang out, go for a swim, and get slammed against a tree while hiding in a sleeping bag. That's right, we're talking the super fun Friday the 13th: Part 7: The New Blood and pointing out all the things that make this such a delightful watch. While it may not have the most imaginative kills, its costumes and special effects are on a whole other level.

SHOWNOTES:

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN DOING?

BRYAN - Titans: Season 2JON - Dead After DarkCHEWIE - Stumptown: 1st 3 Episodes

THEME MUSIC COURTESY BRADLEY DAVID PARSONS

And now for something completely unexpected: a rape revenge film that is good, actually, and that turns all its tropes on its head. I know, right? We're talking about the 2017 film Revenge, from writer/director Coralie Fargeat. She brings a master filmmaker's touch to an otherwise played out genre and asks us to take a hard look at ourselves. It's quite the film and we do the best we can breaking down everything about it.

TRIGGER WARNING for discussions of rape and the rape revenge genre.

SHOWNOTES:

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN DOING?

BRYAN - Season Two of TitansJON - Batman Arkham AsylumCHEWIE - It: Chapter 2

This week kicks off our October Horror month in which we watch - you guessed it - horror films. Our criteria this year involved films we either missed, films we wanted to see, or like in the case of the film we picked this week - films that were available. That's right! We're watching 30 Days of Night, a movie with an interesting premise that will have you going "vampires kill me now." It's certainly a rough watch, but we have fun tearing it apart.

SHOWNOTES:

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN DOING?

BRYAN - Assassins Creed OriginsJON - The Rest of Carnival RowCHEWIE - Swamp Thing, Geekology Training Video About Unruly Cats

THEME MUSIC COURTESYBRADLEY DAVID PARSONS

Hey guys! Due to some technical difficulties we don't have a new episode for you this week, so we thought we would jump in our time travel machine that's suspiciously shaped like a police box and go back to our Batman V. Superman episode, which featured special guests Alex Marshall-Brown and Armond Richards. It was a blast to record and we all managed to survive the brawl between the supes and the bat. See you next week with a new episode!

SHOWNOTES:

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN DOING?

BRYAN - Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar ChildrenJON - CreepCHEWIE - BBC Pride and PrejudiceALEX - Disneyland, Universal, Harry Potter LandARMOND - Lectures of Joseph Campbell, 7 Days to Die

This week on the podcast we discuss Brightburn, a film with a promising and interesting premise, which falls apart in almost every way. Join us as we try to make sense of the decision-making at play and try to find some bright spots in this iffy flick.

SHOWNOTES:

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN DOING?

BRYAN - American Ninja WarriorCHEWIE - DownsizingJON - Amy Poehler’s Yes Please

This week on the podcast we trip a little light fantastic - or at least try to - with Mary Poppins Returns, the "just okay" sequel to the 1964 Disney classic. We have SOME nice things to say about the film...promise! It's just that most of the positive things involve Emily Blunt. Anyway, hitch a ride on a kite and come join us for this piece of...entertainment.

SHOWNOTES:

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN DOING?

BRYAN - All of the Child’s Play movies, Seed of Chucky

JON - Veronica Mars: Season 4

CHEWIE - The Aeronauts

This week we're all floating down here as we talk about Stephen King's IT, the made-for-tv movie featuring Tim Curry in his iconic role as Pennywise the Clown. Does it hold up? Absolutely not. Did we have fun talking about it? You bet.

SHOWNOTES

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN DOING?

BRYAN - Assassins Creed: Origins JON - Carnival Row: Ep.1-2 CHEWIE - "How ’80s Hollywood and Ronald Reagan fueled each other — and paved the way for Trump" by Alissa Wilkinson for Vox.

This week on the podcast we're talking about Alita: Battle Angel, the film from Robert Rodriguez which was written by James Cameron. It's quite a movie, with some excellent casting choices and a vibrant, lived in world, and we regret that it didn't do better in theaters. Truly, if you didn't see it in theaters, you missed out.

SHOWNOTES:

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN DOING?

BRYAN - Once Upon A Time In Hollywood JON - Baptism Of Fire CHEWIE - Parasite

We finally did it. We reached the end of the MCU...or at least our desire to talk about these movies in podcast form. This Endgame in both film and podcast tradition has been a long time coming and we brought back Samantha Garrison from the Sam Wise podcast to help us bring this saga to a close.

SHOWNOTES:

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN DOING?

BRYAN - Justice League JON - Veronica Mars CHEWIE - Last Christmas SAM - Mindhunter

This week on the podcast we're talking about SHAZAM! - the latest film in the DCEU and perhaps the most fun of the bunch. Zachary Levi has an absolute blast as the titular hero, and plays well against Mark Strong's villain Silvana. There's a lot to love with this flick and we discuss every bit.

SHOWNOTES:

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN DOING?

BRYAN - Parks 'n Rec JON - The Boys CHEWIE - Grimm

This week on the podcast have we got the double feature for you! It's Monty Python's The Meaning of Life and Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life, two films which go surprisingly well together and complement each other in some crazy-amusing ways. Let the madness and wonder take a hold as we deal with Dinosaurs and Corporate Pirates.

SHOWNOTES:

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN DOING?

BRYAN - Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee JON - Futureman CHEWIE - Don’t Let Go, Undone

This week on the podcast our pal Matt Dykes came back to the states from across the pond YET AGAIN to talk about one of his favorite movies of all time: Die Hard.

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN DOING?

BRYAN - Super Sons JON - Dead as a Doornail CHEWIE - Blast off comics, GRIM MATT - None