At its best, “Star Trek” shines a light on our own humanity. It shows us how we could be better, how we could do more. It offers us not just those lofty ideals, but identifies its characters as being less… Read More ›
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“Nashville” and “A Place in the Sun” and America
The movies “Nashville” and “A Place in the Sun” are both great. They both offer up not just engrossing stories, not just wonderful filmmaking, but important thoughts about the American Dream and the ways in which we can destroy it…. Read More ›
“Luca,” “Profile,” and Being Happy in your own Skin
We are better when we can be ourselves and have confidence in the knowledge that those around us will accept us as such. One needs look no further than Disney-Pixar’s “Luca” to see just how much it means to be… Read More ›
“The Stairs” Offers up a Path to Highs and Lows
Mysteries are great. Suspense and scares are great. There is no reason why every little thing happening in a film has to be explained. There is no reason why we have to understand exactly how the horror in a horror… Read More ›
“Lasso” is More
Listen, I’m not going to lie to you — I took last week off from the podcast. It’s the summer, I’m allowed to take a week off. Odds are, honestly, that I’m going to take another week off before the… Read More ›
We Dive in as SpongeBob Goes “On the Run”
That fellow who lives in a pineapple under the sea (SpongeBob SquarePants) premiered his Nickelodeon series back in 1999. Now, here in 2021, his third big movie, “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run,” is out on Blu-ray. Although Josh… Read More ›
“Almost Famous,” “Boogie,” and Growing Up
The transition from childhood to adulthood is different for everyone, but, whatever the specifics of the shift, it is almost certainly not a smooth one. There are bumps and jerks and difficulties along the way. That it happens to all… Read More ›
From “Cruella” to “Dalmatians,” is this Prequel Worth it?
Disney’s “Cruella,” which stars Emma Stone as the titular villain who eventually torments many a dog in the Disney classic, “101 Dalmatians,” is not available for purchase digitally. I, for one, am always a little skeptical of such origin stories… Read More ›
Final Thoughts Before Leaving the World of “Biomutant”
A few weeks ago we delivered to you the first of two promised episodes on the open-world RPG “Biomutant.” It wasn’t a teaser as much as it was a review in progress. Well, this week, we’re finishing our discussion of… Read More ›
Indiana Jones Whips his way to 4K
We love the Indiana Jones movies. Well, we love three of them and tolerate a fourth and hope that the fifth allows our hero to ride off into the sunset in perfect fashion. Timed to coincide with the 40th anniversary… Read More ›
Getting to Know “Biomutant”
Up today on the podcast we have the first of two planned installments on the video game, “Biomutant.” A post-apocalyptic role-playing game, “Biomutant” allows you to wander about a destroyed version of our world as a… well, a kind of… Read More ›
“Super 8” and Super J.J.
One of the arguments you may have heard against hte work of J.J. Abrams is that he’s always borrowing from something else, he’s always taking something that’s already been done, rejiggering it slightly, tossing in lens flare, and sending it… Read More ›
“My Fair Lady” and the Last Minute Change
There is no doubt that “My Fair Lady” is a classic. It is a great movie. There is also no doubt that the ending… well, the ending may be its downfall. Henry Higgins is a bad person throughout the film… Read More ›
“Spiral,” “Army of the Dead,” and Movie Webs
Although I regularly think of moviegoing as a near religious experience, another thought came into my mind recently — what if we looked at movies as akin to a spider’s web? Surely you’ve had this happen to you before. You… Read More ›
“Speed,” “Shrek,” and Greatness
We have recently seen “Speed” and “Shrek” arrive on 4K UHD. These are both excellent films. They were excellent when they first came out in theaters, and they’re still excellent today. One of the crucial things to note about both… Read More ›
“Nomadland,” Academy Awards, and Taxes
This week we take a look at newly minted Academy Award winner, “Nomadland.” The film is out on Blu-ray this week and has a lot to say about capitalism. We, as you may have noted in the past, have a… Read More ›
What About the Truth Behind “Bad Trip”
Currently out on Netflix, “Bad Trip” is a really funny movie. Like “Borat,” It is a hidden camera film — actors are playing roles and interact with random people they meet. The comedy often results from the responses the actors… Read More ›
“Raya” and the Best Viewing Option
This is going to be a conversation we keep having. There are just so many streaming options out there and it can be tough to know the right thing to do. This week we’re going to flip things slightly from… Read More ›
“Our Friend” and Bad Movie Titles
There are any number of reasons to remember this week’s podcast. Perhaps though it is most likely that you will walk away thinking of our discussion of movie titles. “Our Friend” is based on a piece in Esquire called “The… Read More ›
We Need to Talk About “News of the World”
Tom Hanks is a great actor and Paul Greengrass makes some incredible movies. The latest endeavor for the two men, “News of the World,” is now out on Blu-ray. The movie finds Hanks as Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd, a man… Read More ›
