Back to the Balcony

Despite the kind of crappy craftsmanship and plotting that separates the movie Charley Varrick from the films of Ed Woods by just a hair (okay, that may be hyperbole but this is a bad movie), comedian Greg Dobrowski finds it hilariously entertaining. Jimmy, not so much - and to add insult to injury, Jimmy rented it when it was available for free on YouTube. No wonder he hated this movie.

While Jimmy can't deny Alien's popularity - it made big bucks and spawned a slew of follow-ups of somethimes great, sometimes dubious quailtiy - it still strikes him as clumsy and eye-rollingly dumb. Comedian Ryan Sim begs to differ and does so with a spirited defense. Can he win Jimmy over? Listen to find out.

At long last, the episode that got away, it's David Green here again to talk about 1964's Mary Poppins. Gee, who could find something not to love about a film that's a beloved classic? Certainly not David who adores this film, that leaves just...

Chris Jarvie and his beautiful other half Christine Kinahan join Jimmy to talk about their favourite movies. Listeners will no doubt remember that Jarvie always comes on with the intention of championing one film but then changing his mind at the last minute. Will he sing the praises of the Wizard of Oz or will he agree with his wife that Meet Me In St. Louis is the more loveable movie?

Arnold? In a romance movie? Or an action movie? Or both? Or neither? Guest Chris Wuergler sees a lot in this movie. All that plus the story of how guest engineer Ryan Sim met Tom Arnold. Now that's entertainment!

The explanation for why we talked about a movie outside our normal range is explained within the podcast. It's also unusual because it's about the comedy business and we had four comedians in the room so the conversation drifted into what it's like to be a stand-up comedian, what the movie gets right and if the relationships seem genuine. Manolis Zontanos, Patrick Coppolino, Kristian Reimer and Jimmy England together bring over fifty years of experience to the discussion. Absolutely fascinating.

Kristian Reimer and Chris Wuergler did such a great job last Valentine's Day talking about the most romantic movie. But there's more than one kind of romance, there's also those that turn out to be toxic and no more so than Unfaithful and Fatal Attraction. We got deep into the weeds about love, lust and romance. Thoughtful and funny too.

There are generational gaps in culture and never was it more glaring than in The Spy Who Shagged Me. Guest Mario Bernardi liked it when it came out but was appalled when he saw it again. Jimmy was no better but engineer Phil gave it a solid thumbs up. So what could be wrong with a movie that made a boatload of money? Listen to find out and see if you agree or not.

Part 2 of our episode about the great or significant movies people are in danger of forgetting about with Jimmy and guest Mario Bernardi. Give a listen to both episodes and let us know what movies you think we should have included. As you'll hear it was a lot of fun to do and uncovered a lot of surprising facts.

Okay, here's the deal, Jimmy and Mario were supposed to do an episode about ten great or significant movies people were in danger of forgetting about. Jimmy chose five and guest Mario Bernardi chose five. Good enough but nobody did the math about how long this episode would be. So this is part one featuring five of the ten. Some intriguing choices, surprising facts and a lot of fun to boot.

If there's one thing we've learned about guest Bob Kerr it's that he has a taste for the macabre. How else do you explain his love of Ernest Saves Christmas? This year we made him watch 1954's White Christmas - a movie this avowed lover of Christmas had never seen before - just to see if his head would explode. Did he find something to love? Give a listen to find out. Another fun episode.

Jimmy and Phil dare to challenge each other to watch a movie they've never seen before. Phil makes Jimmy watch The Matrix. Jim takes Phil back to WWII for Hail the Conquering Hero. Can something modern turn Jimmy's crank? And what about Phil, can he get into something - even a comedy - that came out long before he was born . You'll be surprised! An episode that wasn't really planned but just kind of happened with surprising results.

Gerry Hall takes us out to the ballgame for his take on the greatest baseball movie of all time prior to 2000, 1989's Major League. Surprisingly, he has a criteria that coulld possibly support his argument. Contains discussion of Gerry's career and the grand-daddy of all co-incidences. Lot of fun - and not just for baseball fans.

Barry Carter drops by to extolls the virtues of the quirky Grosse Point Blank from 1997. Does it sell out its premise to become just another rom-com or does it never lose its edge? There's holes and Jimmy ineveitably falls into them.

Talk about spooky! For our Halloween episode, guest Ryan Sim defends a movie that's credited with killing the Evil Dead series. What's worse, engineer Phil, loves the movie too. Stayed tuned to the very end for Ryan's challenge to Jimmy.

Not without its flawa but Jimmy actually agrees with guest Chris Jarvie that The Sandlot is not without its charm. But is it the best movie about baseball ever made? That was supposed to be Chris' position - but it's Chris Jarvie and you'll hear what that means.

Guest Chris Wuergler revels in this off-beat gothic-romance, while Phil and Jimmy confess they enjoyed it while being constantly confused by exactly when it's taking place. Big revelation of the episode: Chris used Avon Make-up. If you've seen the movie you'll know why that's significant.

Not just a classic but considered one of the seminal films of American cinema. It stands up for guest Chris Wuergler and engineer Phil as still powerful after all this time. The big question on Jimmy's mind? Did it really happen. Just one of the intriguing ways it send this talk down a very deep rabbit hole.

Most people probably don't know that The Money Pit was actually a remake of an old Cary Grant - Myrna Loy movie called Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House - a movie that's among Jimmy's favourites. Does it hold up or will guests Mario Bernardi and Chris Wuergler see something less in it.

For a twist - and to celebrate (late again) our 200th episode - Mario Bernardi and Joel Van Vliet turn the tables on Jimmy and make him the guest who has to talk about one of his favourite films: Pee-Wee's Big Adventure. Jimmy says it's a unique, cultural masterpiece. Will that be the prevailing opinion? Listen to find out if it it - and why this is such a special appearance by Joel. Mario, not so much but Joel!

Jimmy's new favourite episode. Guest Larry Smith and guest engineer Mitch McBeaudry bring a wealth of information and love for this movie. The result is hilarious, intriguing and hugely entertaining.

The ever horrifying Bob Kerr is back to talk about Stephen King's Cat's Eye. Is it a horror anthology? Is it a black comedy? Is it another attempt to gross Jimmy out? Okay, it's not very gross but it has some weird ideas.

Guest Nik Duncan surprises Jimmy with a rigorous defense of the virtues of Meet Joe Black. Includes a brief interlude where they may have been visited by the ghost of Barry White. Actually the 200th episode of Back to the Balcony - just not the 200th anniversary celebration of the show.

Better late than never (explanation for why we're a weak late will be in the next expisode). Chris Wuergler revisits her Hitchcock obsession with 1954's Rear Window, a fascinating movie that seems so unlikely to work but somehow does. Jimmy tries to poke holes but it's hard because this movie forces you to suspend your disbelief. Funny, as always but with some fascinating sidebars about eavesdropping. Are we alll guilty of it? Listen and decide for yourself.

We spend just about as much time talking about the political and social ramifications of this movie and events as we do about the movie itself. Like always it's funny but Jimmy and guest Mario Bernardi meander in a lot of directions with this one.

It's hard to review funny movies but Groundhog Day may be the most hilarious and the most well thought out comedy movie of all time. Guest Scott Faulconbridge makes a compelling argument for why it's so good and what we respond to in the movie.

What happens two distant generations meet a movie hit from the 40's? Will it stand up or was this a huge mistake? Mario Bernardi guests with Chris Jarvie (who is literally, half his age) to talk about the best of the Bob Hope and Bing Crosby road pictures, The Road to Morocco. Is here a renaissance coming, will a new generation embrace it? Will the old generation ev en remember it? Turns out to be a pretty fascinating discussion with an unexpected obstacle to universal acceptance.

Bret Measor joins Jimmy along with guest engineer Kristian Reimer (who forgot to turn his microphone on) to talk about the legacy of Rodney Dangerfield and his 1986 movie, Back to School. Bret loves it, Jimmy likes it but wishes it could have revealed more of Rodney and less shenanigans. Is he right or Bret? Give it a listen to find out. 

Ryan Sim and Mitch McBeaudry join Jimmy to figure out if Leslie Neilen is a great comedian or someone who just got lucky a couple times and coasted on that career ever afterwards. Ryan Sinm says he was a natural comedian and 1988's The Naked Gun proves it. Mitch says no, just look at 1995's Dracula: Dead and Loving It. Somewhere's along the way Mel Brooks gets bashed.

Just in time for Valentine's Day it's Chris Wuergler and Kristian Reimer the most romantic movie. Is it 2004's paean to gooey love The Notebook or that tale of gritty sacrifice, 1942's Casablanca? A fun episode that also speaks to the romance in all of us.

Mario Bernardi and guest engineer Ryan Sim join Jimmy to re-visit Uncle Buck and the curious idea that no one understands children like somebody who doesn't have any. That's just one of the plot holes in a movie that still stands up surprisingly well. Listen to find out why.

Guest Chris Wuergler and engineer Phil are totally in love with this movie. No, I mean really. I've never seen so much enthusiasm coupled with amazement that Jimmy doesn't share their infatuation.

Mario Bernardi revisits a movie he hated the first time around. His reaction this time is completely different. So what caused the change because it didn't have that effect on Jimmy.

Bob Kerr is one of our most thoughtful, insightful, truly original guests and a man who loves the magic of Christmas. And yet, his favourite Christmas movie is Ernest Saves Christmas. Jimmy thinks the only magic is what kept the franchise going to this point. A funny review that takes us all back to our younger days when the standards weren't as high.

Guest Ronald Hae sees Rush Hour as more comedy than drama. Phil leans towards the suspense. Jimmy leans towards end of life therapy if he ever has to watch it again. 

Somehow this got away from Jimmy when Patrick Coppolino admitted that Manolis Zontanos was right and Back to the Future was the better movie. But he still found enough redeeming value in Hot Tub Time Machine to put up a spirited defence. And then Manolis starts definding it. Very funny episode with a couple of naturally funny people.

Guest Greg Dobrowski wants to talk about a most unusual movie, 1981's Time Bandits. it's kind of like the Wizard of Oz on acid. It's kind of like a lot of things, but is it a good movie? Jimmy has some strong feelings here.

Guests Ryan Sim and Mitch McBeaudry face off again to determine not just the best movie but the best movie franchise, Friday the 13th versus Nightmare on Elm Street. Jimmy found both movies so scary he hosted the show from under the covers.

Guest Keh Dee dips way back in the past to the birth of Hag Horror for the classic tale of sisters and fame with 1962's Whatever Happened to Baby Jane starring two of classic Hollywood's screen divas - who happened to share a mutual hatred in real life. Jimmy can't believe she chose a movie he's wanted to talk about for eight years.

Bob Kerr returns with a new kind of horror, 1991's Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Funny as always but there's also an interesting segment about whether The Terminator movies are the source of everyone's anxiety about AI. Jimmy's not worried but then he's still getting over the shock of moveable type. That's a really smart joke.

Chris Jarvie and Ryan Schnider join Jimmy to decide the best James Bond movie of all time, 1989's License to Kill or 2006's Casino Royale. Weird fact: License to Kill has nothing to do with Bond's license and outside of the card game taking place there, Casino Royale has nothing to do with the casino. Where do they get these names?

Quick, name another movie where bicycle racing played a major part? Yeah, Jimmy and Mario couldn't either. Mind you, Mario contends this isn't a sports movie, it's a coming of age movie. Jimmy's not so sure. Special guest engineering by Len Perdic.

What's the best movie about show business? Chris Wuergler thinks it's 2018's A Star is Born. Barry Carter disagrees, he says it's 2008's Tropic Thunder. You couldn't get two movies that were further apart yet they both make a convincing argument. And Jimmy will say? Listen to find out.

This could very well be the companion  episode to the one we did a couple months ago about the movie Clue (with Dave Sokolowski). This time Mario Bernardi praises Murder By Death and Jimmy finds it's not the comic gem he remembers. Whose right? You may be surprised.

We know our 100th anniversary was a couple years ago but thanks to Covid we had to put off our big celebration - until now! So much fun, so many great memories - plus ice cream cake and champagne. Stories, insights, jokes - even a quiz. What a great way to kick off season 8.

The gloves come off when comedians Gerry Hall and Chris Jarvie try and decide what's the greatest hockey movie of all time. Both are big sports fans - which begs the question why talk about the most under-represented sport in cinema history? According to Wikipedia, there's more films about bull fighting. Funny episode.

Guests Joel Van Vliet and Allie Moore insisit that Martin Scorsese makes the most intense movies - they just can agree about which one is best. Joel says it's 2016's Silence, Allie says it's 2006's The Departed. So essentially a movie about priests in Japan is more intense than a movie about infiltraters in the police and gangs of Boston. Jimmy doesn't say much in this one - they do all the work for him. Our most fast paced episode.

Comedian Dave Sokolowski considers Clue a great movie because it so seamlessly builds on the characters of the board game. Jimmy thinks that's a liability. Funny for what it is or not funny because of what it is? Give it a listen and tell us what you think.

This shaped up to be a cakewalk deciding which was the best spy spoof movie of all time. Instead, things got turned around in one of our funniest episodes with guests Ryan Sim and Mitch McBeaudry.

Is it about books or TV or censorship or ridiculous ideas? Mario Bernardi and Jimmy go back in time to talk about the movie based on a book they had to read in high school. While they don't reveal how they did when tested on it you get a pretty good idea based on their discussion. Surprisingly insightful.

Patrick Coppolino and Kristian Reimer join Jimmy to determine once and for all which movie has the worst special effects. Patrick Coppolino makes a pretty convincing argument for 1992's The Lawnmower Man. Kristian Reimer makes a surprisingly convincing argument for every tampered version of 1977's Star Wars - A New Hope. Most shocking reveleation: Patrick has never seen Star Wars.