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 247 - PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

Transportation travails are just the tip of the emotional iceberg in Planes, Trains and Automobiles, a classic two-hander that reveals new layers to its heroes with each misadventure. Find out how a homecoming fable gives us all the feels--and artfully unloads all its f-bombs--in this heartwarming Thanksgiving episode!

Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987)
Written and directed by John Hughes
Starring Steve Martin and John Candy

Episode 237 - SHREK

Somebody once told us the world was gonna roll us, but that was before we found the irreverent inspiration of Shrek. Kevin Chu stops by our swamp to discuss how an ugly ogre underdog turned the tables on Disney-fied fairy tales and launched a massively popular animated franchise/meme factory. Hey now, you're an all-star, so cue this 'cast up and push play!

Shrek (2001)
Directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson
Written by Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Joe Stillman, and Roger S. H. Schulman
Based on the book by William Steig
Starring Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Vincent Cassel, and John Lithgow

Episode 228 - DUMB AND DUMBER

What are the chances of us appreciating the insane quotability and uninhibited physical comedy of Dumb and Dumber? One in a hundred? One in a million?

We're telling you there's a chance, especially when we're joined by special guest and Jim Carrey superfan Amy Ambler. Just when you thought our podcast couldn't possibly be any dumber, we go and do something like this...and totally redeem ourselves!

Dumb & Dumber (1994)
Directed by Peter Farrelly
Written by Peter Farrelly, Bobby Farrelly, and Bennett Yellin
Starring Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels, Lauren Holly, Karen Duffy, Mike Starr, Charles Rocket, Teri Garr, and Cam Neely

Episode 214 - JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS

Underneath its bubbly pop-punk tunes and girl power trappings, Josie and the Pussycats is a sly satire of conformity and commercialism that zips along with fun, campy energy. It also marks an inflection point in pop culture: a crowning burst of late '90s/Y2K frivolity with winking humor and a kickass soundtrack.

DuJour means friendship on this totally jerkin' episode, as we rock out retro-style with Kristal Bailey and celebrate an endearingly clever and creative adaptation.

Josie and the Pussycats (2001)
Written and Directed by Harry Elfont and Deborah Kaplan
Based on the comic and the TV series Josie and the Pussycats created by Dan DeCarlo
Starring Rachael Leigh Cook, Rosario Dawson, Tara Reid, Alan Cumming, Parker Posey, Gabriel Mann, Missy Pyle, Paulo Costanzo, and Carson Daly

Episode 201 - TITAN A.E.

Don Bluth's directorial swan song Titan A.E. straddles the line between two eras of animation, merging  hand-drawn and computer-generated visuals to create a look befitting its extremely-Y2K style, soundtrack, and overall attitude.

We blast off with John Parton and Ace Cordova to chart a course for the future of humanity...or at least the future of big-budget epics from animation auteurs!

Titan A.E. (2000)
Directed by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman
Written by Ben Edlund, John August, and Joss Whedon
Story by Hans Bauer and Randall McCormick
Starring Matt Damon, Drew Barrymore, Bill Pullman, Nathan Lane, Janeane Garofalo, Ron Perlman, Tone Loc, and John Leguizamo

Episode 200 - PULP FICTION

Pulp Fiction is the film that changed the way we watched films. It was a gateway to a more sophisticated world of adult storytelling, and still reflects many of the reasons why we became cinephiles. Tastier than a Royale with Cheese, more precious than your great-grandfather's gold watch, it's our 200th episode special!

Pulp Fiction (1994)
Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino
From a story by Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary
Starring John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Bruce Willis, Ving Rhames, Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, Eric Stoltz, Rosanna Arquette, Christopher Walken, Maria de Medeiros, and Quentin Tarantino

Episode 184 - THE TRANSFORMERS: THE MOVIE

Before Michael Bay, before Beast Wars, there was...The Transformers: The Movie. Dismissed in its time as a toyetic cog in a corporate moneymaking machine (which it is, to a certain extent), the film endures as a cult classic for many reasons: its anime-influenced visuals, an over-the-top rock soundtrack, and an emotional ruthlessness you don't expect from a cartoon about alien robots that fold into boomboxes.

That being said, The Transformers is still peak 1980s in all its loud, colorful excess. John Parton returns to discuss one of his prime cinematic passions, and transforms our perspective on this keystone of '80s nostalgia. Let's roll out!

The Transformers: The Movie (1986)
Directed by Nelson Shin
Written by Ron Friedman
Based on The Transformers TV series
Starring Peter Cullen, Judd Nelson, Robert Stack, Lionel Stander, Leonard Nimoy, Eric Idle, Frank Welker, and Orson Welles

Episode 176 - SCREAM 2

Sequels suck! Or do they? That's just one pillar in the tantalizing metatextual framework of Scream 2, a sly, sneaky, savage whodunit that builds upon the foundation of its trope-savvy predecessor. The redux uses a wealth of suspenseful setpieces and hilariously knowing dialogue to create a fine-tuned cinematic ouroboros that's always several steps ahead of audience expectations.

Daren Sprawls inexplicably returns from our first encounter with the Woodsboro gang to discuss the commodification of horror violence, debate the relative merits of movie sequels, and go deep on another soundtrack of eclectic '90s tunes. 

Scream 2 (1997)
Directed by Wes Craven
Produced by Cathy Konrad and Marianne Maddalena
Written by Kevin Williamson
Starring Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Jerry O’Connell, Jamie Kennedy, Timothy Olyphant, Elise Neal, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jada Pinkett, Omar Epps, Liev Schreiber, and Laurie Metcalf