Join professional editor Nat Magee and critic Ben Hain as they revisit some of the great years of cinema history, examining the films that made them what they were. Get ready for deep dives into certified classics, forgotten favorites, and inexplicable hits in Nat and Ben's endless quest to go back... Back to the movies!
It's been a minute, but we are back! Since it's that time of year, this episode is all about Carol, a Christmas-y movie starring Rooney Mara and Cate Blanchett in a subdued yuletide romance. -Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok Follow Nat and Ben on Letterboxd Email us at bttmpod@gmail.com And please, give us a 5-star review and share the podcast with your movie-loving friends!
The 2010's was a tremendous decade for horror. It saw the genre's greatest commercial success, audience adulation, and critical appreciation. It Follows sits smack in the middle of that trend. As 2015's indie horror du jour, it dominated twitter arguments and dorm-room debates for the better part of a year. On this episode, Nat and Ben unpack the film's surprising popularity, born out of a keen sense of style and a strong directorial voice. Oh, and they also go on several tangents about Star Wars.Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTokFollow Nat and Ben on LetterboxdEmail us at bttmpod@gmail.comAnd please, give us a 5-star review and share the podcast with your movie-loving friends!
Nat and Ben discuss the harrowing Hungarian film "Son of Saul"-Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok Follow Nat and Ben on Letterboxd Email us at bttmpod@gmail.com And please, give us a 5-star review and share the podcast with your movie-loving friends!
We get in touch with our emotions as we explore Pixar's "Inside Out" with special guest Lexi Nisita. -Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok Follow Nat and Ben on Letterboxd Email us at bttmpod@gmail.com And please, give us a 5-star review and share the podcast with your movie-loving friends!
Nat and Ben discuss "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" and their personal relationships with the Galaxy Far Far Away... - Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok - Follow Nat and Ben on Letterboxd - Email us at bttmpod@gmail.com - And please, give us a 5-star review and share the podcast with your movie-loving friends!
Steven Spielberg looms large of Hollywood. The boys have dedicated multiple episodes to him without ever covering one of his movies. But in 2015, Spielberg put out a late career masterpiece, an epic of decency and understanding, and there was no way Nat or Ben was going to miss a chance to throw it some love. Finally a titan get his due as Back to Movies unravels the web of cinematic intrigue that is Bridge of Spies.Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTokFollow Nat and Ben on LetterboxdEmail us at bttmpod@gmail.comAnd please, give us a 5-star review and share the podcast with your movie-loving friends!
Nat & Ben discuss Sean Baker's 2015 film "Tangerine" - famous for being shot entirely on iPhone.Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTokFollow Nat and Ben on LetterboxdEmail us at bttmpod@gmail.comAnd please, give us a 5-star review and share the podcast with your movie-loving friends!
What is Crimson Peak? Is it horror? Is it gothic romance? Is it a post-modern exploration of the way genre fiction reinforces regressive gender roles? These are the questions Nat and Ben are dying to answer, if only they could stop poisoning each others tea long enough to do it. If they can survive each other, perhaps they will uncover the mysteries behind this forgotten entry in the filmography of a modern master.Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTokFollow Nat and Ben on LetterboxdEmail us at bttmpod@gmail.comAnd please, give us a 5-star review and share the podcast with your movie-loving friends!
Nat and Ben are back! The first film of our third season is MAD MAX: FURY ROAD. WITNESS US!Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTokFollow Nat and Ben on LetterboxdEmail us at bttmpod@gmail.com
The boys are busy planning the next season of BttM, but that doesn't mean they haven't been watching movies. That's why we're bringing back Back to the Big Screen, a show within a show, in which Nat and Ben watch a movie in theaters. Like Cavemen used to do. This week, they saw Dune, and they had thoughts. Wanna hear them? Well, just listen to the episode!Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTokFollow Nat and Ben on LetterboxdEmail us at bttmpod@gmail.comAnd please, give us a 5-star review and share the podcast with your movie-loving friends! If you write us a five star review on Apple podcasts, we'll perform a parody song based on the movie we're talking about for the week. You give us a review, then choose a song and we will produce a custom parody!
2007 is in the books. It was quite a year for cinema, with bonafide classics and destitute failures. After 33 episodes cataloging some of the best and worst the year had to offer, the boys are sending the year out with a bang as they hand out awards and honors for some of their favorite entries this season. It all caps off with Nat and Ben's personal Top 10 lists. Which film made it to #1? You'll have to listen to find out. And don't forget to tweet out your picks, too!Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTokFollow Nat and Ben on LetterboxdEmail us at bttmpod@gmail.comAnd please, give us a 5-star review and share the podcast with your movie-loving friends! If you write us a five star review on Apple podcasts, we'll perform a parody song based on the movie we're talking about for the week. You give us a review, then choose a song and we will produce a custom parody!
This week, Nat and Ben are talking Paul Thomas Anderson's masterpiece "There Will Be Blood"Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTokFollow Nat and Ben on LetterboxdEmail us at bttmpod@gmail.comAnd please, give us a 5-star review and share the podcast with your movie-loving friends! If you write us a five star review on Apple podcasts, we'll perform a parody song based on the movie we're talking about for the week. You give us a review, then choose a song and we will produce a custom parody!
This week, we're talking about Tim Burton's "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" with special guest Alison Fraser, an actress, singer, & teacher who also happens to be Nat's mom.Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTokFollow Nat and Ben on LetterboxdEmail us at bttmpod@gmail.comAnd please, give us a 5-star review and share the podcast with your movie-loving friends! If you write us a five star review on Apple podcasts, we'll perform a parody song based on the movie we're talking about for the week. You give us a review, then choose a song and we will produce a custom parody!
Is there a more essential, more definitive, more impressive 2007 movie than No Country for Old Men? The film is both a towering return to form for the Coen Brothers after a decade of failures and an statement of their absolute and irremovable place on the Mt. Rushmore of American auteurs. Are Nat and Ben up to the task of discussing such a monumental film? No, but they had a pretty good time giving it a try.New to the podcast - parody songs! If you write us a five star review on Apple podcasts, we'll perform a parody song based on the movie we're talking about for the week. You give us a review, then choose a song and we will produce a custom parody! This week, by special request, a Michael Clayton parody of Sean Kingston's "Beautiful Girls". Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTokFollow Nat and Ben on LetterboxdEmail us at bttmpod@gmail.comAnd please, give us a 5-star review and share the podcast with your movie-loving friends!
***The episode has been reuploaded! Thanks to everyone who noticed the audio issues.***Some movies are grim, but Before The Devil Knows You're Dead might be a grimmest. It's a raging diatribe against the rot festering in the human soul and a towering farewell from one of the greatest film directors of all time. It's so ruthlessly, unforgivingly bleak, it might even have been too much for one of our stalwart hosts. You'll have to listen to find out which.New to the podcast - parody songs! If you write us a five star review on Apple podcasts, we'll perform a parody song based on the movie we're talking about for the week. You give us a review, then choose a song and we will produce a custom parody! This week, by special request, a Michael Clayton parody of Sean Kingston's "Beautiful Girls". Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTokFollow Nat and Ben on LetterboxdEmail us at bttmpod@gmail.comAnd please, give us a 5-star review and share the podcast with your movie-loving friends!
***The episode has been reuploaded! Thanks to everyone who noticed the audio issues.***Some movies are grim, but Before The Devil Knows You're Dead might be a grimmest. It's a raging diatribe against the rot festering in the human soul and a towering farewell from one of the greatest film directors of all time. It's so ruthlessly, unforgivingly bleak, it might even have been too much for one of our stalwart hosts. You'll have to listen to find out which.New to the podcast - parody songs! If you write us a five star review on Apple podcasts, we'll perform a parody song based on the movie we're talking about for the week. You give us a review, then choose a song and we will produce a custom parody! This week, by special request, a Michael Clayton parody of Sean Kingston's "Beautiful Girls". Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTokFollow Nat and Ben on LetterboxdEmail us at bttmpod@gmail.comAnd please, give us a 5-star review and share the podcast with your movie-loving friends!
Cold glass and steel buildings, flip phones, and terse conversations - welcome to the wonderful world of "Michael Clayton." This week Nat and Ben discuss this high stakes legal thriller starring depressed George Clooney, manic Tom Wilkinson and sweaty Tilda Swinton.New to the podcast - parody songs! If you write us a five star review on Apple podcasts, we'll perform a parody song based on the movie we're talking about for the week. You give us a review, then choose a 2007 song and we will produce a custom parody! This week, a Michael Clayton parody of "Fergalicious". Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTokFollow Nat and Ben on LetterboxdEmail us at bttmpod@gmail.comAnd please, give us a 5-star review and share the podcast with your movie-loving friends!
Has an author ever so thoroughly and completely dominated their genre as Stephen King has horror? No one comes close to his ubiquity, his success, and his prestige. It's only natural, then, that his work would serve as the basis of many, many movies. Like, lots of movies. So many movies. 2007 saw two of his less appreciated adaptations, 1408 and The Mist, so Nat and Ben decided to lump them together in one super episode about people being stuck inside and slowly losing their minds. It gets real. Joining them on this expedition is Aaron Ware from the Thrash 'n Treasure podcast.
On this special episode of BttM, we're talking about a recent release: Marvel's "Black Widow". We talk all about the film, including spoilers in the back half, while also discussing the MCU's dominance in the modern box office, newcomers Florence Pugh's scene-stealing performance, and so much more.We'll be back to our regularly scheduled 2007-centric programming in our next episode, but this weekend enjoy the newest Marvel film in all its mainstream glory!00:00 - Intro09:42 - Spoiler-free reviews25:45 - Ben's book report corner38:15 - Spoiler talkFollow us on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTokFollow Nat and Ben on LetterboxdEmail us at bttmpod@gmail.comAnd please, give us a 5-star review and share the podcast with your movie-loving friends!
Superbad is a generational film. What else am I supposed to put in this description? You know it. I know it. It's Superbad: McLovin', "boop," DTF, Steven Glansberg, and Jimmy's brother--you know the singer. It's Micheal Cera and Jonah Hill, Judd Apatow and Seth Rogen all at the top of their games. And we're talking about it! So just listen already.Timecodes:00:29 - Intro4:04 - What we watched this week9:06 - Initial thoughts17:11 - Superrad (Nat's Story Minute)19:29 - Ben's Book Report Corner26:27 - The Film1:14:37 - Legacy1:15:13 - ThemesFollow us on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTokFollow Nat and Ben on LetterboxdEmail us at bttmpod@gmail.comAnd please, give us a 5-star review and share the podcast with your movie-loving friends!
The boys are together at last! After over a year of podcasting apart, Nat and Ben finally got to record in the same room. The results were wild, and not just because of the movie they were covering. Things are a little less formal this week, so just sit back and enjoy this freewheeling discussion about that time Sean Penn made a two and a half hour movie about watching Emile Hirsch slowly die in the wilderness.Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTokFollow Nat and Ben on LetterboxdEmail us at bttmpod@gmail.comAnd please, give us a 5-star review and share the podcast with your movie-loving friends!
Once a season, Nat and Ben like to put aside the movie stars and special effects and IP driven brand management of Hollywood for the weird and wonderful world of documentary. 2007 was a great year for the form, so the boys selected two films that show the true breadth of experiences non-fiction film-making has to offer. First on the docket: Taxi to the Dark Side, a blistering condemnation of the systemic failures inherent in the prosecution of the War on Terror. Second: The King of Kong - A Fistful of Quarters, a plucky stranger-than-fiction look at the rivalry between two of the greatest old school Donkey Kong champions. Between them, they paint an unrivaled portrait of the USA in 2007, our triumphs and our failings, our terrible sins and our charming eccentricities.Timecodes:00:32 - Intro3:34 - What we watched9:08 - Taxi to the Dark Side35:54 - King of Kong58:12 - ThemesFollow us on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTokFollow Nat and Ben on LetterboxdEmail us at bttmpod@gmail.comAnd please, give us a 5-star review and share the podcast with your movie-loving friends!
The hype factory was running overtime in preparation for the release of 2007's I Am Legend. Will Smith, CGI vampires, an empty NYC -- how could you not be excited? Unfortunately, like many overhyped properties before it, I Am Legend fell short of the vaulted expectations. What went wrong? That's the answer the boys are searching for as they scour the desolate cyber-barrens of post-pandemic podcasting.Timecodes:00:27 - Intro1:15 - What we watched11:50 - I Am Story (Nat's Story Minute)13:58 - Ben's Book Report Corner24:29 - Movie talk1:06:16 - Legacy1:08:44 - ThemesFollow us on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTokFollow Nat and Ben on LetterboxdEmail us at bttmpod@gmail.comAnd please, give us a 5-star review and share the podcast with your movie-loving friends!
In the wake of Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, Hollywood was scrambling to make the next fantasy blockbuster. Most are forgotten relics. Too many are eye-gouging failures. But there are a few that rose above the dreck. Matthew Vaughn's Stardust might be one of the latter. Certainly, it has the pedigree of legendary nerd god Neil Gaiman behind it, not too mention a supremely talented, if eclectic cast. Was it destined to claim its rightful place in the fantasy pantheon? This week the boys are on a quest to determine exactly that.Timecodes:00:35 - Intro4:13 - What we watched12:20 - Nat's Story Minute (this time with an incomprehensible name)14:03 - Ben's Book Report Corner21: 09 - Movie talk1:07:22 - Legacy1:08:46 - ThemesFollow us on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTokFollow Nat and Ben on LetterboxdEmail us at bttmpod@gmail.comAnd please, give us a 5-star review and share the podcast with your movie-loving friends!
In 2001, Ocean's Eleven was the height of cool. Clooney. Pitt. Damon. 'Nuff said. But the intervening years (and a slightly underwhelming sequel) had threatened to take the bloom of the rose. Enter Ocean's Thirteen, the final threequel of our season on the films of 2007. Could it recapture the brilliance of the original or was it fated to be another rote sequel, rehashing tired tropes for a quick fix and a few hundred million at the box office? Nat and Ben are here to find the answer. The outcome may be predetermined, but the magic is in the execution.Check this out, we've got timecodes now:00:28 - Intro5:57 - What we watched18:19 - Nat's Story Minute (this time with an incomprehensible name)21:54 - Ben's Book Report Corner27: 09 - Movie talk1:07:55 - Ocean's Crew tier list1:14:20 - Legacy1:16:28 - ThemesFollow us on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTokFollow Nat and Ben on LetterboxdEmail us at bttmpod@gmail.comAnd please, give us a 5-star review and share the podcast with your movie-loving friends!
Few movies explode in the culture consciousness like Juno. This quirky indie look at teen pregnancy catapulted its writer to celebrity status, supercharged the career of a future Oscar-winning director, and gave media pundits enough talking points to last them an entire season of manufactured controversy. It introduced us to hamburger phones and the use of the word home-skillet as a term of endearment. It gave us a star-making turn from Elliot Page supported by a bullpen of ace acting talent in the likes of J.K Simmons and Allison Janney. And yet, as bright as it burned, the film had now seemingly faded from relevance. The boys have one big questions to answer: why?Check this out, we've got timecodes now:00:28 - Intro3:47 - What we watched this week5:26 - Initial reactions11:00 - This is one plot summary that can't be untold (Nat's Story Minute)12:58 - Ben's Book Report Corner19:05 - Movie talk1:01:26 - Legacy1:08:30 - ThemesFollow us on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTokFollow Nat and Ben on LetterboxdEmail us at bttmpod@gmail.comAnd please, give us a 5-star review and share the podcast with your movie-loving friends!
In 2006, Ang Lee won the best director Oscar for his work on Brokeback Mountain. His follow up? A two hour and forty five minute Chinese language period spy thriller with enough explicit sex to earn a dreaded NC-17 rating by the MPAA. It's one of the most ambitious and baffling films of 2007, so you better believe the boys are taking a look.Nat and Ben are back to their usual antics, with a return of Nat's Story Section (with an appropriately punctuated new name), Ben's Book Report Corner, and all the comparisons to Fellini films you should expect from someone who just got the Criterion box set.Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTokFollow Nat and Ben on LetterboxdEmail us at bttmpod@gmail.comAnd please, give us a 5-star review and share the podcast with your movie-loving friends!
2007: The year of the sequel. Dozens of sequels came out, but three of them (that all happened to be "part three" of their franchises) were the biggest of the year: the bombastic "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End", the lackadaisical "Shrek The Third", and the villain-stuffed tonal question mark "Spider-Man 3".Nat and Ben dive into this "THREEQUEL SPECTACULAR" with a special guest, writer Gabirel Laks (who happens to be their old college friend). This trio compares and contrasts these three threelquels - does Spider-Man 3 work at all? Is Captain Jack Sparrow over the hill by part III? How many corporate partnerships did "Shrek The Third" take part in? Superlative awards are given: "Worst new character", "Worst Script", "Moment that makes you harken back to the glory days of the franchise", and more.It all ends in a presidential style "Spider-Man 3" debate between Gabriel and Ben.Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTokFollow Nat and Ben on LetterboxdEmail us at bttmpod@gmail.comAnd please, give us a 5-star review and share the podcast with your movie-loving friends!
You're a wizard, listener, and you've been accepted at BttMwarts, the premier school of cinematic wizardry this side of the pond. This week, the boys are taking on the establishment as they unpack Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. They're joined in this underground rebellion by comedian, writer, and actress, Jessie Cannizzaro. It's our angstiest episode yet!
Don't trust anybody, particularly not Nat and Ben, because this week the boys are gathering intel on Paul Verhoeven's pulpy, steamy WWII spy thriller, Black Book. Like a proto-Inglorious Basterds, Black Book exploded the 2007 film scene with its macabre humor and gruesome violence. Add to that the international debut of a stunning Dutch ingenue in Game of Throne's Red Woman Carice van Houten and you've got a recipe for an unheralded masterpiece. It's a roller coaster of compromise and double crosses... and that's just the podcast.
Sacrebleu! There’s a rat in the kitchen! Nat, Ben, and special guest Chef Gen Sato are discussing the animated hit Ratatouille in a food filled episode. Enjoy this feast of a podcast!(00:00:33) - Intro(00:04:10) - What we watched this week(00:09:20) - Plot Summary/Initial Reactions(00:16:23) - Historical Context/Ben’s Book Report Corner(00:29:05) - Ratatouille Discussion(01:08:50) - Box Office/Legacy(01:15:00) - 2007 Themes
Nat and Ben take on the worst 2007 has to offer in this week's episode of BttM. It's an excruciating journey into the heart of cinematic darkness and at the end is Dan Fogler screaming about sex. Can the boys and special guest Jackie Saltzman survive? You'll have to listen to find out.
Get ready. It's the big one. On this episode of BttM, Nat and Ben attempt to unpack the 2007iest movie of 2007... Michael Bay's Transformers. Is there more to this movie than meets the eye? Perhaps this episode will Transform your opinion. Will it ALL SPARK a new conversation? (Ed. note: please forgive the puns. The description writer has been fired.) What else do you need? We're talking Transformers!
This episode is priority level chartreuse. Nat and Ben are hot on the trail of super spy sensation The Bourne Ultimatum. Is it a politically conscious exposé of the sins of the surveillance era or dumb action movie where cars go fast and guns go boom? Or, in the year 2007, was there really a difference?
Nat and Ben unpack the infamous failure of Grindhouse, the throwback/parody/update/loving recreation of exploitation double-features from Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino. Listen as our brave hosts completely fail to determine whether Planet Terror or Death Proof is the better film, become baffled by Tarantino's exceeding horniness, and wonder fruitlessly over what Rodriguez was trying to say about the War of Terror. Also there's lots of sex and violence. Cue the 60s rock!
Nat and Ben are joined by voice actor and comedian Barrett Leddy to discuss Edgar Wright's explosive action comedy classic, Hot Fuzz.
Nat and Ben are joined by Nat's fiancee Jessie for a delectable episode on Adrienne Shelley's Waitress.
Nat and Ben take a harrowing journey into madness as they cover Danny Boyle's underappreciated sci-fi stunner, Sunshine. There's an awkward intro, lengthy discussions of Venn diagrams, and more than one allusion to Mark Strong's naked body--in short, everything you could want from a podcast episode!
Nat and Ben are joined by Patrick and Casey from the Farthouse podcast for a breakdown of the intricate and excellent international sensation, The Lives of Others. Don't worry, there are plenty of bad German accents.
Nat and Ben strap on their shields and muscle up their best Gerrard Butler impressions as they go to battle with the evil that is the movie 300. What's that? 300, evil? That's what the guys think, but you'll have to listen if you want the full story.
Nat and Ben tackle the controversial film about the killer scent in this episode on Perfume: Story of a Murderer. Get ready for a truly NSFW discussion covering orgies, misogyny, and whether Dustin Hoffman should be allowed to say the word "basta." Also, there's a guest appearance from a real perfume professional!
Nat and Ben review the comedy classic Walk Hard with guest Brandon Tuzio of the Dandon Brave Presents podcast.
BttM 2007 continues with Stomp the Yard. Dance movies were all the rage back in the halcyon days of 14 years ago and Nat and Ben try to unpack why with the help of choreographer, movement coach, body freedom advocate, and owner of the prettiest instagram known to man Karma Raines (seriously, check out her IG: @by.karmaraines).
Nat and Ben begin their discussion of 2007 with a review of the David Fincher film Zodiac.
Nat and Ben say goodbye to 1990 with an awards show.
Nat and Ben discuss the hit movie Home Alone with a special guest
Nat and Ben are joined by podcaster Brandon Tuzio of Dandon Brave Presents for a review of the films The Bonfire of the Vanities and The Godfather Part III
Nat and Ben are joined by the crew from The Gold Standard podcast for a review of the film Dances with Wolves.
Nat and Ben are joined by a guest for a spooky October review of the film Jacob's Ladder
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