Critics w/o Credentials

In the final episode of our Going Through Ghibli series, the group talks about the latest Ghibli release, whether it will be Miyazaki's last, and ranks all 24 of the Ghibli films once and for all. 

Chris, Nicole, and Sam talk about the unorthodox approach that Studio Ghibli takes with the all-CGI Earwig & the Witch. Even more surprising is the group's feelings toward the film. 

Chris and Kevin come together after a busy week of watches to discuss their feelings towards the surprising Godzilla Minus One, the "okay-ness" of Wonka, Poor Things' gorgeous appeal, and Kevin's distaste for James Marsden's work. Who knew? 

Kevin and Chris discuss how Napoleon should only be viewed as a dark comedy, The Boy and the Heron is okay with being just okay, The Santa Clauses might be the best entry in the Disney lore, Slow Horses is the best show that no one's watching, and MORE!

Chris and Kevin come together to talk about a full week's worth of streaming with a little theater watch sprinkled in. The duo discusses Genie, Leo, Dream Scenario, Netflix raunch, Oscar prospects, and MORE!

For the second episode of the month, the group discusses When Marnie Was There, a film that divided the group, but not without leaving a lasting message about family on its way. 

The group comes together for November to discuss The Tale of Princess Kaguya, a film that was neither impactful nor divisive, but just...fine. 

Kevin and Chris come together before Thanksgiving to talk about their recent double outing at the movies with The Marvels, Thanksgiving, and Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, while also talking about the amazing streaming options available like Blue Eye Samurai, The Burial, The Killer and MORE!

Chris and Kevin return to discuss their chosen absence from the theater, what new releases have been worth their time as of late, some good streaming options and MORE!

The group discusses The Wind Rises, a film that just might find its way permanently into the Top 5 (or 3?) of the Ghibli rankings!

For the group's first entry from October, they discuss the pleasant and entertaining watch - From Up On Poppy Hill. 

Category: Bloody Hilarious Movie: Happy Death Day

Category: The Worst of the Curst Movie: Troll 2

Category: Easy Bake Coven Movie: The Wretched

Category: Monster Mash Movie: The Lost Boys

Category: Monster Mash  Movie: Fright Night

Category: Body's Still Warm (Recent Horror) Movie: Incantation

Category: I Guessed the End (Psychological Horror) Movie: Alice, Sweet Alice  

Category: He's Got a Knife! Movie: You're Next

Category: Reading Kills! (Foreign Horror) Movie: The Mimic

Category: Possession Obsession Movie: Evil Dead Rise

Category: Alpha Delta Die (College Horror) Movie: Slotherhouse

Category: Scary Stories to Tell In the Dark (adapted stories) Movie: Doctor Sleep

Category: Birth Year Horror (1990) Movie: Frankenhooker  

Chris and Kevin come back together after a longer-than-anticipated break to discuss some rather middling movies that they've watched with some exceptional surprises as well. Also, Sam Sims, from the Spooky Extravaganza podcasts, makes it a trio towards the end of the pod talking about some of the recent watches he's been able to knock out. 

With the second entry of September for our Studio Ghibli series, we turn to yet another novel adaptation with The Secret World of Arrietty. But more importantly, the group comes to the same realization throughout their discussion; we are all gluttons for closure. 

For the first entry from Studio Ghibli for the month of September, Ponyo is a welcome watch as it is without a central villain and just an overall enjoyable watch. However, where things get interesting among the group is the discussion revolving around where it should rest in our overall Studio Ghibli rankings and whether or not we see that changing as the year comes to a close. 

With our 3rd and final installment of Hollyweird After Dark, Devin has selected Poltergeist. But as an added bonus, she decided to make it a double feature by having us watch both the original and the 2015 remake to discuss. This leads to an interesting discussion with two very different viewpoints on the 2015 remake which needs to ultimately be decided who's right by our listeners. 

Kev and Chris come together to discuss another lax week in watchland. Kev makes a reservation but then has a reservation about the reservation (it'll make sense in the episode) and Chris decides to focus on finishing some TV that concluded this last week while also supporting another Happy Madison production and a live-action adaptation of an anime. 

Chris, Sam and Nicole come together to discuss one of the most controversial films in Ghibli's catalog, Tales From EarthSea, where there is as much drama happening behind the camera as in front of it. This leads the group down a very interesting discussion when attempting to rank the film among the others so far and debate its lasting impact and rewatchability compared to that same list.  

Chris, Nicole and Sam come together once again for this month's Ghibli installments with the first being one that is particularly near and dear to Nicole. The group discusses the incredible worldbuilding that is achieved with Howl's Moving Castle among a host of memorable characters. 

Chris and Kevin come together to discuss their odd weeks of avoiding the theater and instead focusing on streaming with both promising to eventually to return when there are worthy watches. Still, the duo manages to find entertainment with some shows they've been able to catch up on and more. 

Kev and Chris discuss Kevin's Halloween Horror Night Preparations and the anticipation of this year's houses (and the IP they're taken from), the 2nd best written show of this year that no one is talking about, the return of the hallowed Hard Knocks docu-series featuring the JETS, and MORE!

In what proves to be a strange week of watches, Chris and Kevin discuss Barbie being admitted to the Billy Club (Billionaire) and its Oscar impact, TMNT: Mutant Mayhem, Talk to Me, 90's Period Drama, and much more!  

Kevin and Chris come together to discuss the phenomenon that is Barbie, its oddly-matched step-brother, Oppenheimer, the squandered potential that was The Haunted Mansion, and how the Twisted Metal show might actually be.....good???

In one of Studio Ghibli's less popular entries, The Cat Returns proves to be a welcomed surprise hit for Sam, Chris and Nicole. Join the trio for the second episode of July's episodes as they discuss the humor, animation and more of this wonderful film. 

Chris, Nicole and Sam come together to discuss the immensely popular Ghibli film, Spirited Away, and its lasting impact from several unique perspectives; seeing it for the first time, the second time, and for the 50th time! 

Join Devin and Chris and they once again dive back into the strange true horror stories that inspired Hollywood to make movies about them. This month, the duo discusses the infamous, Veronica, and the importance of never going near a ouija board. 

Chris and Kev return from another summer mini-break to talk about one of their favorite times of the year...the MID-YEAR REPORT CARD! The duo doles out some good and bad grades for some of this year's films (TV and Books too)culminating in their top 5 movies at the halfway point of 2023. 

Chris and Sam continue with June's 2nd Ghibli film entry, My Neighbors the Yamadas, which proves to be an interesting discussion on a film that wasn't overly impressive upon viewing but managed to reveal something far deeper the longer the two were away from it. 

Chris and Sam talk about one of Studio Ghibli's most popular films, Princess Mononoke, and its significance in stepping into a more mature themed realm with its storytelling. 

Devin pilots this new summer series as she and Chris discuss films based on real-life murders and the creative liberties Hollywood took when adapting (or borrowing) their stories.  The first entry is The Town That Dreaded Sundown which is based on several unsolved murders in Texas by the Texarkana Phantom in 1946. 

Kev and Chris discuss Jennifer Lawrence's Oscar-winning performance in an R-rated comedy, Wes Anderson's best imitation of a stage play, one of the greatest television show's triumphant return...and MORE! 

Chris and Kevin have so much to talk about after their almost month-long hiatus. From Across the Spider-Verse, Elemental, The Little Mermaid, The Flash, Transformers, and more, the duo catches up on what they've been up to on their vacation and then quickly dives into all they've been able to watch while away. 

Chris is joined by Sam and Chloe once again to discuss Whisper of the Heart, a film that the group was somewhat divided on, and yet, was able to find some interesting common ground as they talked about several key themes. 

Chris is joined by Sam and Chloe Howard to break down the very eccentric, fun, and overly long Pom Poko. But more importantly, the group does a deep dive into the lore of the tanuki and how their "pouches" play an integral part in their power. 

Kevin and Chris spend the first 53 minutes of this episode as therapy by sharing their thoughts, hopes, dreams and disappointments from Fast X. After which, Chris manages to still talk about the recently released White Men Can't Jump (2023) and the docu-series, Secrets of Hillsong. 

Chris and Kevin take the first 30min to finally break down their Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 SPOILERS. Chris also talks about the Robert Rodriguez Hypnotic starring Ben Affleck that cheated its way into theaters as well as The Mother, a J.Lo action drama where she beats up a bunch of people because she can. Most importantly, the duo looks ahead to a movie they know will change their lives forever - FAST X. 

Kev and Chris share their thoughts on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and how it's their least favorite of the trilogy (w/o SPOILERS), AMC's ridiculous popcorn vessel pricing, the slow burn of Apple TV+'s, Silo, an FX mini-series following FBI agents across multiple decades in Class of 09, and most importantly the duo's growing excitement for the sequel to Book Club dropping this week!

In what serves as a semi-nostalgic made-for-tv affair, Ocean Waves still finds a way to be both divisive and deep within the shortest-running Ghibli movie to date which, of course, leads to a fantastic discussion from our group. 

Once again, the group comes back together to discuss one of Studio Ghibli's funniest movies from our series so far - Porco Rosso. As we breakdown all that we loved about this movie, it also opens up an even more interesting discussion about the cultural perception of the titular anti-hero as well as the large difference in translation with English vs. Japanese.