The 4th Annual Criterion Draft

Just as John wraps up talking about his favorite horror movies of the 2010s, we take a trip to the more distant past by making our Criterion Picks. As you may or may not know, each July we at Mildly Pleased review 30-ish movies from the Criterion Collection on the blog, and while many things may be different about this Summer in the world at large, this tradition remains essentially the same. This year, Colin and John stick to past themes of spreading their picks throughout the decades of films, while Sean commits himself to reviewing nothing but black and African-American filmmakers this year.

Unlike in years past, we recorded our draft just a week before Criterion Month starts, so look forward to some reviews already comin’ at ya tomorrow! Continue reading →

The Pick: Outside In

Well, we’ve made it to the end of another season of The Pick, and in this finale we’re saying goodbye to one of our own — Seattle filmmaker Lynn Shelton, who passed away about a month ago. We discuss the indie director’s short-but-prolific career, while also going in-depth on her criminally underseen 2017 drama Outside In. We also get into some talk about another hometown hero, Jeffery Dean Morgan (because why not), while also airing some recent cancelations, because that’s just the world we live in. Continue reading →

The Pick: Hot Rod

Everybody rev your engines, because this week we’re soaring off a jump and crashing our mopeds into a discussion of Hot Rod. Is it the most thought-provoking and intellectually stimulating conversation we’ve ever had? Not really. Does it feature us constantly recalling ridiculous jokes from the movie in question and chuckling to ourselves approvingly? You bet your ass. We also get a bit into the underrated movie career of Andy Sandberg and why there just wasn’t room for Hot Rod in the comedy-abundant Summer of 2007. Continue reading →

The Pick: Dune

He who controls THE PICK controls the universe! This week Sean, John, Colin, and special guest Matt “Nancy” Carstens are watching David Lynch’s 1984 sci-fi fantasy nightmare Dune! Why? Cause over the past four months we read Frank Herbert’s iconic 1965 novel. How did the film compare to the book? Is David Lynch’s Dune an overlooked masterpiece? Can you really milk a cat to fight off poison? All this and more are discussed in this episode. It’s a spicy one.

The Pick: Dick Tracy

Get out your two-way wristwatches and your banana-colored trenchoats, because this week we’re talking about Dick Tracy. It’s a movie that seemed to be everywhere when it came out in 1990, and now is more or less forgotten. We delve into Warren Beatty’s long road to getting a Dick Tracy movie made, as well as all of the merch and marketing that went into making it a cultural phenomenon. Or at least, an attempted cultural phenomenon, since we also get into why the movie doesn’t really fit into our typical modern notions of a blockbuster. Also featured is a momentous edition of John’s Rogues Gallery. Continue reading →

The Pick: Speed Racer

Here it comes, here comes The Pick! Once again this week we’re reviewing a live-action movie adaptation of a famous cartoon (and there just might be another one around the corner). Are we talking about these colorful films as some sort of way of escaping our current depressing reality? Possibly. Are we going to talk about John Goodman fighting ninjas? Definitely. It’s another episode of The Pick, this time dissecting The Wachowski’s Speed Racer and it’s rarin’ to go! Continue reading →

The Pick: Josie and the Pussycats

Slip-on those cat ears because this week we’re talking about the 2001 cult classic Josie and the Pussycats. Listen as we delve into the world of Archie Comics and how they’ve shaped teen culture. Also in this episode, we explore some of the more eclectic Archie spinoffs. Ever heard of Jughead’s Time Police? No? Then what are you waiting for? Crank it!

Continue reading →