We are, once again, back. We’re also back on our bullshit reviewing a movie with a cult following and a strange cultural footprint that we’ve been meaning to get to the bottom of. In honor of its 30th anniversary, we’re taking a look at Cabin Boy, the first and only big-screen collaboration between Chris Elliott and fellow Late Night co-conspirator Adam Resnick. We dive into the movie’s abysmal reception when it was released and why it has been reassessed by comedy nerds over the years. Also, we couldn’t let the release of Dune: Part 2 go by without talking about it, so we forgo our little picks for an in-depth discussion of the year’s first big blockbuster.

Every time an underrated Christmas movie is acknowledged, an angel gets its wings. Or at least, that’s what we’d like to think after talking about The Preacher’s Wife, a Christmas movie that we enjoyed quite a bit despite it not being one of the big holiday movies everybody watches this time of year. We delve a little bit into why that is, while also lauding the movie’s very ’90s charms. Also, we really stretch out the Little Picks by getting sidetracked by lengthy conversations about Siskel & Ebert and the Pink Floyd discography. It’s the last The Pick of the year, so better savor it like a comfy Christmas morning! Continue reading →

We’re back in romantic comedyland, looking once again at Richard Curtis’s wish-fulfillment shenanigans (and another Julia Roberts movie) with a discussion of 1999’s Notting Hill. Even though we split on this one, it’s a fairly cordial conversation full of British accents and debate over the charms (or lack thereof) contained by its co-star Hugh Grant. It may not be a Christmas movie, but it’s still one to put you in that feel-good spirit if you’re willing to just go with its easygoing look at love, fame, and romantic montages. Continue reading →

Needless to say, the gap between this latest and our last episode hasn’t been all that… brief. It wasn’t helped by the fact that The Pelican Brief is an overwhelming passable but unremarkable film, and one that pales a bit compared to some of the other John Grisham adaptations that were filling multiplexes in the mid-90s. Still, it gives us a chance to dive into Grisham’s fascinating background and the types of movies that his books inspired, even if this one doesn’t entirely adhere to his distinctly Southern flavor. Continue reading →

We end this Shocktober (for the most part) with a movie that’s hard to even categorize as a horror movie, even if it tackles one of the most iconic movie monsters. 1994’s Wolf sees the odd pairing of Mike Nichols’ actor-centric directing with modern-day werewolves and the results are… pretty fun if you’re willing to overlook everything that doesn’t quite work about it. Which is quite a bit. But come on, where else are you going to see Jack Nicholson as a werewolf book editor? Also, if that wasn’t enough, John has fun relying on AI to concoct a version of this movie that stars Robin Williams (surprise, it’s not that great). Continue reading →

As we make our way through Shocktober, this week we take a look at a horror movie of sorts (or perhaps an “erotic fantasy”) with the 1982 remake of Cat People. We discuss how effectively the film expands on its horror-noir inspiration and whether director Paul Schrader was the best person to bring this source material to the screen. But mostly we rag on John Heard and how ill-equipped is to be the leading man in a film that needed someone a little more sexy and charming (our apologies to the memory of Mr. Heard). Continue reading →