The 5th Annual Criterion Month Draft

And we’re back with our first podcast in quite some time! Just as the NFL draft happens each Spring, a far more important draft also happens this time each year, where we pick what movies we’ll be reviewing for Criterion Month. Like every year, it’s an odd exercise in talking about movies we haven’t seen yet while there isn’t much competition as to whether one of us will steal each other’s pick. Still, the boys find plenty of arty movies to look forward to seeing in a summer that should actually see the return of theater moviegoing and possibly a newfound appreciation for this medium that we already know and love. Continue reading →

Top Ten Most Anticipated Movies of 2021

2020 was a weird year for movies, to put it mildly. 2021 will most likely be just as weird, as we look forward to films that will mostly be available on streaming while still holding out hope that a few choice releases will make their way to theaters by the end of the year. While the circumstances have changed, Sean and John once again compile their lists of their most anticipated movies, while I take a look at the movies that probably won’t be any better than they were before having their release dates pushed back. This podcast is always a fun one, and as per usual we’re joined by our old friend Matt Carstens. Continue reading →

The Ninth Annual Mildly Pleased Awards

2020 was a year that was anything but mildly pleasing, but nonetheless, we return once again to our yearly podcast celebrating excellence in pretty good-ness. Despite all the tragedy and chaos last year, there were still plenty of things that didn’t make us sad, but also weren’t necessarily great enough to get us out of bed in the morning. This episode’s a long one, perhaps because we had a lot to get off our chest about an unprecedented year, or maybe this awards podcast is always long… I can’t really remember. But either way, if you want to take a look back at 2020 without being depressed, look no further. Now… onward! Continue reading →

The Pick: Wonder Woman 1984

We close out the year and this season of The Pick with what may be a harbinger of what to expect in 2021: Wonder Woman 1984. The first of Warner Bros’ slate of new releases (plus or minus Legendary Entertainment) to be made available immediately on HBO Max, is this the beginning of the end for movie theaters? Or is it merely the start of another weird year? Plus, why do so many people already hate Wonder Woman 1984 so passionately? What if it’s actually kinda good? Is Chris Pine too hot for anyone else in the movie to be credited as “handsome man”? If you want to find out, you’re just going to have to listen. Your lasso of truth has no effect on me!

The Pick: Paddington and Paddington 2

Well, I hope anyone reading this had as nice a holidays as anyone can have under the circumstances. This week we’re doing double duty (despite the fact that we should probably be taking it easy) by reviewing both Paddington and Paddington 2. We all thought these might be holiday movies going into them, though they’re more just winter movies about family and togetherness. This perhaps makes them good movies to watch in the days preceding Christmas, so why not take a peek at these delightfully British films just as we did? Continue reading →

The Pick: The Rock

Due to the recent passing of Sean Connery, this week we’re talking about The Rock, one of his more ridiculous (and more entertaining) movies. We ponder whether this is Michael Bay’s best film as well as all of the director’s various trademarks that are usually obnoxious and bad, but actually work pretty well here. We also pay tribute to the film’s perfect scene involving the song “Rocket Man” as well as a surprising detour into some of the past and recent winners of MTV Movie Awards. Continue reading →

The Pick: White House Down

The election may be over, but we could still be heading toward a disastrous future in which only a muscley, tank-topped Channing Tatum can save us. Still, whatever the future holds, we can all agree we’ll be having a much more normal president in two months, and White House Down is a suitable, mind-numbing way of turning the page on the past four years. Hey, we’re even getting a new president with a “J” first name, just like our man James Sawyer and countless other movie presidents.

On this episode, we do a bit of a dive into the history of black presidents on-screen as well as some of our former presidents’ most notable pets. It’s kind of a weird one, but maybe it’s appropriate for the weird final days of a very weird presidency. Continue reading →