Episode 250 - SMALL SOLDIERS

Small Soldiers, big episode! We're marking our 250th outing by returning to this hidden gem from Joe Dante—and to the very origins of this podcast. There will be no mercy as we discuss an unapologetically savage kids movie brimming with easter eggs for the olds.

War! What is it good for? An absolutely fun-filled WWWW milestone!

Small Soldiers (1998)
Directed by Joe Dante
Written by Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio
Story by Gavin Scott and Adam Rifkin
Starring Gregory Smith, Kirsten Dunst, Kevin Dunn, Phil Hartman, Ann Magnuson, David Cross, Jay Mohr, and Denis Leary, with the voices of Frank Langella and Tommy Lee Jones

Episode 149 - THE PATRIOT

Some nations have oral histories that tell the story of their ancient origins. Others have sprawling cosmologies that explain how each part of their culture was forged. In the United States of America, we frame our founding myth as a three-hour Hollywood war epic directed by a German and starring two Australians.

On this special crossover episode, the hosts of the Lieography podcast--John Parton, Ace Cordova, and Joanna Phillips--join us to take a comprehensive look at the historical basis of The Patriot. With the help of their meticulous and illuminating research, we grade the movie's factual accuracy (or lack thereof) and celebrate our freedom as Americans to fudge the details. Happy 4th of July!

The Patriot (2000)
Directed by Roland Emmerich
Produced by Dean Devlin, Mark Gordon, and Gary Levinsohn
Written by Robert Rodat
Starring Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger, Jason Isaacs, Joely Richardson, Chris Cooper, Tchéky Karyo, René Auberjonois, Lisa Brenner, Donal Logue, Leon Rippy, Adam Baldwin, and Tom Wilkinson

Episode 119 - CON AIR

The high concept of Con Air plays like a perfect card of Bruckheimer bingo: an unassailable tragic hero, oodles of massive explosions, and a preternaturally calm Nicolas Cage. But there's a lot more going on in this orchestrated mayhem, thanks to a deep bench of character actors and an infinitely quotable script that's dripping with sarcasm.

Jake Beal makes a garrulous WWWW debut that touches on everything from sound design to criminal psychology to dueling country music sirens. Don't miss this episode, because we're going to show you that God does exist.

Be sure to check out more of Jake's cinematic deep dives on his blog, The Mentaculus!

Con Air (1997)
Directed by Simon West
Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer
Written by Scott Rosenberg
Starring Nicolas Cage, John Cusack, John Malkovich, Ving Rhames, Colm Meaney, Danny Trejo, M.C. Gainey, Dave Chappelle, Mykelti Williamson, Rachel Ticotin, Monica Potter, and Steve Buscemi

Episode 110 - STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT

It is futile to resist Star Trek: First Contact, one of the most crowd-pleasing adventures of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Though we may still be 45 years away from our fictional date of first contact, the time is ripe to examine the movie's impact on the Star Trek franchise, and its continuing ripple effect on the legacy of the TNG crew.

It turns out we're not alone in this podcast universe, as we assimilate the hosts of Reopening the Wormhole--Sam Stovold, Jack Stovold, and Kev Young--to synthesize a new life form capable of unparalleled Trekspertise and whimsical sci-fi mashups.  Sweet Jesus, it's a massive crossover event!

Star Trek: First Contact (1996)
Directed by Jonathan Frakes
Produced by Rick Berman
Written by Brannon Braga and Ronald D. Moore
Based on Star Trek created by Gene Roddenberry
Starring Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Marina Sirtis, Gates McFadden, Alice Krige, Alfre Woodard, and James Cromwell

"The Resistance is futile."
-Snokutus of Borg

Episode 98 - MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL

We're knights of the round table
We pod when ere we're able
About our pick of older flicks
With talent debatable
The only trick that we've got
Is to quote these films a lot

We're knights of the round table
With opinions disposable
We have more fun with Kev Young
Whose style's inimitable
So give this episode a shot
We promise you'll enjoy a lot!

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
Directed by Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam
Produced by Mark Forstater and Michael White
Written by Monty Python
Starring Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin

Episode 32 - MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE II

The Mission: Impossible films constitute a rather curious franchise.  They are not meant to showcase a sprawling narrative, nor do they necessarily give us 20 years of insight on the evolution of a particular genre.  Instead, the series seems to exist solely as a bellwether for the career of its producer and star, Tom Cruise.

In this sense, Mission: Impossible II reflects the mind of a Hollywood demigod at his mid-career apex, matched perfectly to high-flying and unabashedly self-congratulatory vibe of American culture in the year 2000.  It's a nonstop smirkfest posted at the last mile marker of a decades-long highway of persona-driven action cinema, timed precisely to the moment when the comic book bubble began to emerge and starring the only actor who could afford to ignore the changing of the guard.

[Our apologies for the tinny audio quality this week.  A rogue nation was tapping our channel, so we had to initiate ghost protocol.  We'll be back to normal in the next episode.]

Mission: Impossible II (2000)
Directed by John Woo
Produced by Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner
Story by Ronald D. Moore and Brannon Braga
Screenplay by Robert Towne
Based on the TV series Mission: Impossible created by Bruce Geller
Starring Tom Cruise, Dougray Scott, Thandie Newton, Ving Rhames, Richard Roxburgh, Brendan Gleeson, and Anthony Hopkins

Episode 29 - TV DADS

There are many different types of dads.

One type of dad might endure the constant bruising of his ego by pitting his flailing masculinity against ill-advised home repair projects, all while he struggles to relate to his strong-willed wife and three rambunctious sons.

Another type of dad might endure the constant bruising of his ego by pitting his flailing masculinity against various Sisyphean attempts to raise a family with dignity, all while he struggles to relate to his strong-willed wife and three rambunctious sons.

Just in time for Father's Day, we spend some time with two of our favorite sitcom dads - Tim Taylor of Home Improvement and Hal Wilkerson of Malcolm in the Middle - as we recount their lessons about life, love, failure, and how to act like you know what you're doing.

Home Improvement (1991-1999)
Created by Carmen Finestra, David McFadzean, and Matt Williams

"Super Bowl Fever"
Directed by Andy Cadiff
Written by Rosalind Moore and Howard J. Morris
Aired January 31, 1995

"The Feminine Mistake"
Directed by Peter Bonerz
Written by Laurie Gelman
Aired May 6, 1997


Malcolm in the Middle (2000-2006)
Created by Linwood Boomer

"Bowling"
Directed by Todd Holland
Written by Alex Reid
Aired April 1, 2001

"Hal Coaches"
Directed by Jeff Melman
Written by Ian Busch
Aired March 10, 2002

Episode 22 - GLADIATOR

Gladiator's place in our cultural canon is almost entirely due to its violence: just thinking about the title conjures up images of severed limbs, overflowing viscera, and a beefy Russell Crowe asking a crowd whether or not that day's murders have amused them sufficiently.  What's most interesting about this violence, however, is how little of it (relatively speaking) is actually shown.

In a way it makes perfect sense that Ridley Scott's film ruled the first Oscar ceremony held in the 21st century.  It is a very old-school drama in a throwback genre, clean and simple, and its lack of metatextual meddling makes it almost like cinematic comfort food.  Aside from a few grisly moments, Gladiator is most disturbing in our imaginations.

Gladiator (2000)
Directed by Ridley Scott
Produced by Douglas Wick, David Franzoni, and Branko Lustig
Written by David Franzoni, John Logan, and William Nicholson
Starring Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed, Derek Jacobi, Dijmon Hounsou, and Richard Harris