Dinner With a Movie

What do you get when you watch and you eat? Dinner with a Movie is our favorite treat! You guessed it. We're discussing Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory after we eat tomato soup, roast beef, blueberry pie, and chocolate eggs. This romp through a psychopath's factory is full of friendly deathtraps for naughty children. Because we're good boys at DWAM, we can keep bringing you our golden-ticket podcast where everyone's a winner and there's no chance of any of us "unintentionally" falling into an incinerator. Doopa-dee-doo!

C'mon and have some cheese wrapped in salami and ice cream before we discuss C'mon C'mon. This voyage through mental health and parenting is guided by a kid with an old soul. Brandon isn't bothered by Joaquin Phoenix and Jose isn't bothered by Woody Norman so this movie is a pleasant surprise for Blake. Join us for another adventure, C'mon.

We kindly eat cheese pizza before discussing Be Kind Rewind. Jack Black and Mos Def (Yasiin Bey) lead a great team of friends making movies and creating a community. This episode takes us on a nostalgic journey of the not-so-distant past when we were making films and memories in college. We all find the film charming after we get past the confusing beginning and the emergence of Magnetic Jerry and his magnetized pee. Adding Alma to the mix rounds out the group and adds heart to the movie. Please be kind, rewind, and share us with your friends. Thank you for being part of our community.

In an attempt to bring you content with more substance, we eat roast chicken, shrimp, eggs, and Diet Coke before discussing The Substance. Is it a comedy or horror? Is it good or bad? Is it real or a dream? We have no idea, but we have a good time trying to figure out what is going on. Like the Diet Coke, Blake and Jose may have drunk some of the substance and Brandon is having none of it.

Hey, Superstars! Get on the bus. We're headed to the biblical time of Israel in the seventies to eat cucumber, bell peppers, onions, bread, grapes, and drink a little wine before we discuss Jesus Christ Superstar (1974). We all agree that you need multiple watches of the movie to understand what the hell is going on at the beginning and end. We disagree on the need to know the greatest story ever told in order to follow the plot. We all think you're on the right path if you're listening to the podcast. He that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast (Proverbs 15:15). It's all part of our divine plan.

LOOK OUT! Your friendly neighborhood Dinnermen are at it again when we eat Cup of Noodles, cranberry sauce, sweet potato casserole, and Dr. Pepper before we discuss Spiderman (the Tobey Maguire one). This movie is a great watch if you aren't paying too much attention to the strange relationships and underdeveloped characters. We agree that Willem Dafoe is wonderful as Norman Osborn and could possibly carry the film. Too bad Spiderman/Peter isn't as well developed as Harry Osborn. As a whole, the film is an innovative superhero movie which makes it undeniably likeable in the end even though Peter isn't.

There you are, listener! This week, we eat hot dogs and colorful cupcakes before discussing Hook (1991). Captain Hook and Smee steal the show and Peter's children. This would be a great movie about the gay power couple named after the fabulous captain. Alas, it's loosely about Peter's need to become a better father. The film has some moments of endearment mixed in with nonconsensual kisses and strange generational love. Watch this film as an adult and you start to see behind the creepy curtain but with a child's eyes, it's bangerang. RIP Rufio.

We're back in the Colosseum to eat bread, olive oil, grapes, and pomegranate before discussing Gladiator II (2024). Is this a better film than the original or a less effective carbon copy that no one needed? Lucius's unwarranted change from revenge to forgiveness makes the film shallow while the inclusion of a Colosseum naval battle, even with sharks, makes it spectacular. Macrinus's deception of the Emperors Timmy and Tommy and pulling their strings is a great addition that needed to be played up. There's a better story here somewhere buried under the blood and dust.

We're off on another pirate adventure this week when we eat crab, coconut water, melon, pineapple, and apple before discussing Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006). The addition of Elizabeth thirsting for Jack's pirate booty is out of character for a person who just had her wedding to Will Turner ruined. There may be too much silly sword-fighting in the film, but Bootstrap Bill and Davy Jones make this continuing story better. Now we're off to go save Jack with help from a demon monkey and an old “friend?”

We were looking for a good dinner to have with a movie and stumbled upon kimchi gumbo and Searching (2018). Everyone becomes a suspect in this story full of twists, turns, and dead ends that have you on the edge of your seat up until the final reveal. John Cho and Debra Messing are brilliant. It's a little cliché in places, but a suspenseful ride that'll make you want to turn the car around and go back to the scene of the crime.

We take a ride to a galaxy far, far away to eat sushi and talk about Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Is this the best Star Wars movie? We think it is. It has everything from a smart-assed droid to a non-Jedi blind guy. A couple of CGI cameos and misplaced droids brings it down, but just like the Death Star nothing's perfect. The prequel that nobody asked for delivers the hope for the Star Wars universe that we all need.

We eat some grocery store deli food and discuss the movie Funny People (2009) this week. Is it nostalgic brilliance or a half-acted mess? We'll let you decide. One thing we can agree on is that the love story part of the film drags on way too long. With too many comedian cameos to count, this film may be an ode to the past that Judd Apatow thinks is funny more than the audience does.

We took a break from the jar this week to watch something new. Was it a joke or was it Joker: Folie a Deux? The world didn't need another jukebox musical or another Joker movie, so we decided it was more of a gag than a movie. What didn't make us gag was the talent of the actors and their ability to make something from the lackluster writing. That wasn't enough to get high praise from us. We have to say that the folie in this is definitely number two.

This week, we are taking a ride down the river Nile as we eat Mediterranean food, possibly with bugs, and discuss The Mummy (1999). We are in love with Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz as much as Imhotep is in love with Anck Su Namun. This film is full of entertainment if you can get over the ability to teleport to and from locations with ease and silly effects that may be as cool as a face in a sandstorm but are ill-used when it comes to plot and the rules of magic. Who wouldn't wait dead for years in the desert, after being buried alive, to be resurrected and practically immortal with the intention of reuniting with the love of your life? Wait, is this a love story or an action movie?

Papa, can you hear us? We eat some unburnt fish and baked apple before discussing the movie Yentl. This musical, with songs sung only by the title character, is an anthem for feminism and women's rights. The stars shine brightly in this film, especially with Mandy Patinkin's full moon out for everyone to see.

After some well-deserved time off we gathered at the beginning of the school year to eat some trash pizza and discuss Monsters University. In this prequel to Monsters Inc., we get to know Mike and Sulley a little better and find out why they're such a good team for churning out power for Big Scream. Although it doesn't have Boo, it has a college feel all its own. Like Mike and Sulley, your college friends at DWAM are staying together to make you laugh and scream. If only we could just bottle the stuff.

We lock ourselves inside separate rooms and eat birthday cake, peanut butter toast, cereal, milk, and grapes before we discuss Room. We make it perfectly clear that this movie is not to be confused with the movie The Room.  When we began the podcast, we only knew small movies and dinners, but now we're almost four and we know great movies and dinners. This is a truly great movie that we all agree you should watch. Just remember it's named Room not The Room.

We surrender after being “accidentally” left in Shanghai where we're forced to eat potatoes, eggs, chocolate, butter biscuits, and milk before discussing Empire of the Sun. Blake finally gets a film about a boy's loss of innocence. We're grateful that we didn't have to watch any of our friends die trying to cut a mango for us.

We go undercover this week in Boston to eat croissants, cold cuts, and cranberry juice before we discuss The Departed. Everyone's a rat in this entertaining Scorsese film, but we're left to answer some big questions. Does everyone in Boston have a bad Boston accent? What's in Billy's envelope? Is Colin a repressed gay man? Who is Madolyn's baby daddy? We try to get to the bottom of what's going on with our determination to uncover the reason for killing almost every character in the movie without emotional investment.

After speaking with the Bobfather, we cover ourselves with magic and sparkly dust and eat a dirty lunch of sushi, French fries, dates, baby dill pickles, gummy worms, and chocolate chip cookies before discussing Rugrats in Paris: The Movie. Where is the adult supervision of all these babies running unaccompanied around a foreign amusement park and city? Chuckie's adventure to find a new mommy that'll last for eber and eber makes this movie great for everyone. He reminds us that we gots to be brave when we have to keep our dad from eating a bad date.

This week, we eat foot-long sandwiches from a chain that must not be named before we discuss Terminator 2: Judgement Day. Are Skynet's Terminators precise killing machines or are they bad at their jobs? With tons of action and some mixed moments of not-so-good voiceover, we can say that Robert Patrick as the overpowered T-1000 makes this film stand out from the original and anything that's come after in the franchise. It's too bad his prototype character never returns in the sequels. Hasta la vista, baby!

We're at the garage in the city living large this week as we eat pizza and cookies then discuss The Babysitter. We agree that some of the filmmaking choices detract from the film's likability, but it's still a good watch. With laughs all the way through, this film is fun, entertaining, and uncomplicated. Watch it. Don't be a P*$$Y.

This week, we get all dressed up in our furry suits and eat hot dogs and “rocket ship” shaped cookies before discussing Death to Smoochy. This behind-the-scenes look into a crazy world of depraved children's show entertainers is made even more entertaining with the great Robin Williams as Rainbow F-ing Randolph. It may not be the best-constructed story, but the comedy more than makes up for it. RIP Spinner. We love you, champ.

Bleep, blurp, bleep, bloop is Robot for breakfast burritos and cupcakes which is what we eat before discussing The Mitchells vs The Machines. This animated family road trip – robot Armageddon – father/daughter bonding – coming of age movie almost has it all. Functional dysfunction can save the world as long as there's love and memes. We learn to treat our phones with respect so they don't turn against us and always pick up the phone when mom calls. Mom mode is not something you want to deal with.

We're traveling to Mother Russia this week to eat a charcuterie buffet of cheese, chocolate, tomatoes, lettuce, apples, and bread before discussing The Death of Stalin. We can't help but root for a bad guy in this power grab for control over the lives of so many comrades. It's nice to know that we live in a world where we can watch a good satire of Russian politics and not get

After trading our virtues for a meatball in our spaghetti, finding a cockroach in our salad, and smearing éclair cream into our nose hair; we discuss Victor/Victoria. In this crazy gay Parisian world, the accents may be all wrong, but we agree that the messages of acceptance and feminism are perfect until the second half where King's arc outshines Victoria's friendship with Toddy. It's a great example of comedy filmmaking in the 1980s that even the shady dame from Seville would enjoy.

We woke up this morning not knowing what we were doing so we decided to eat Chinese food, chocolate chip cookies, and clementines before discussing Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Do we really want Joel and Clem to make it? Are they nutso enough to give it another try? We don't know where they're headed, but it's the journey that matters. We all agree that Patrick has no rizz. Stealing panties and a trashbag of memories is not the way to a woman's heart.

After attending a punk concert at an undisclosed location, we eat Mexican food (including rice and beans) and then discuss Green Room. This movie really changed Blake's life. Can it change yours? Jose thinks the film has some great moments, but may not be rewatchable. Brandon is sad because Anton Yelchin is gone forever. We all agree that this movie is entertaining. It gives us our second choice for a desert island band, the Ain't Rights or Aren't Rights whichever you prefer.

We're framing each other for things we may not have done this week while we eat chicken Frito pie, mint chocolate chip ice cream, and Kit Kats before we discuss Gone Girl. Once we get past the unrealistic meet cute banter, the story leads us through a series of events that may not be as authentic as they are depicted. Is Nick a wife murderer? Is Amy abused? The answers may surprise you if you ignore the story's holes. We're excited that Nick gives us some wood in the end, but we'll save that for our fifth-anniversary show.

Gorry! We plan our deaths as we eat cabbage, sausages, a plate of charcuterie, and drink some Scotch before discussing Dolores Claiborne. With impressive dialogue and a truly evil antagonist, this film takes us on a journey of discovery that we relish. As one year bleeds into the next, we look forward to growing old together. Sometimes dinner with a movie is all we have to hold on to.

Love is in the air as we eat muffins, Vienna sausages, and milkshakes before discussing Before Sunrise. Jose and Blake can relate to Jesse's awkward peacocking while Brandon is let down by the lack of emotional investment in the characters. The next time we're in Vienna we'll have to catch the play “Bring Me the Horns of Wilmington's Cow” instead of spending so much time in the cafes and bars.

Yippee ki-yay, movie lovers! We eat Crunch bars, Twinkies, ice cream, and cake before getting into the thick of it with Die Hard. After some debate, we determined that films don't necessarily have to feature Christmas to be considered Christmas movies. This nostalgic eighties gem has it all: a half-naked hero, clever villain, idiotic cops, irresponsible F.B.I. officers, and a marriage on the rocks due to a lack of communication and support ultimately proving that being a hero can solve anything. The added bonus of watching our true heroes, Alan Rickman and Clarence Gilyard, was the perfect way to end 2023. Get along little doggies. It's time to saddle up and ride into the sunset of another year.

We're off to Türkiye this week to eat hamburgers, fries, rolls, strawberry ice cream, and lemon Fanta before we discuss Aftersun. We all connect with this film's captivating depiction of a father-daughter relationship being damaged by depression. Paul Mescal has a nice butt and is brilliant in his portrayal of Calum. We don't intend to put them under pressure, but we want to see more of young actress Frankie Corio and writer/director Charlotte Wells. Rave on!

Ciao alla nostra bellissima principessa ascoltatrice! Instead of eating breaded liver and eel stuffed with fatty sausage, we chose to have some nice salmon with salad, bread, and lovely eclairs before discussing Life is Beautiful. This wonderful film is full of all of the hilarious highs and heartbreaking lows that we crave. All we can say to Roberto Benigni is “Grazie!” for manifesting your gorgeous film into existence.

We're kicking up our heels this week after we eat a pastrami sandwich with celery juice and watch A Chorus Line. Blake scores the movie Intro Ten; Story Three. Jose is so Surprised by the movie he says it twice. Brandon wants to spend all his time At the Ballet from now on (preferably with Paul). We're not dancers, probably because we can't walk around with our pants stuffed in our cracks, but we can eat, talk about movies, and entertain you. We Can Do That!

We are correctly doing something this week when we eat some Brooklyn pizza and discuss Do the Right Thing. Is Mookie the perfect unlikable protagonist? Is Sal the reason Pino is an a-hole? Who is doing right and who is doing wrong? Can we fully answer any of these questions? No, but that's the point. We admire Spike Lee's use of duality in every character and cinematography that captures moments of tension and heartbreak with precision. Spike Lee's ability to write and direct such a thought-provoking movie that is still relevant thirty-four years later is outstanding and harrowing at the same time. Hell you Talmout! Say their names!

Welcome to our nightmare where we eat small chickens and salad then discuss Eraserhead. Blake and Brandon try to decipher meaning in a possibly meaningless movie as the crew delves into the strangeness of David Lynch's choices. Maybe he was just a dad going through some stuff. Does that explain the chicken-fish baby? Who knows? After we've picked all the meat off of this cult classic and the surreal chickens are left bare-boned, this is a movie that Jose just can't sink his teeth into.

What was that? Oh, it was just Jimmy destroying our roof again. We better have his mom fix it before we eat eggs, purple flurp (grape soda), cotton candy, and popcorn then discuss Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius. This nostalgic film brings back some memories of youth for Blake and Jose, not so much for Brandon who wants a smarter film. Go Jimmy, Jimmy that's the voice I hear inside. Straight up, come along for the ride… It's Dinner with a Movie time.

Remember, remember the last week of September when we ate eggies in the basket and tea and biscuits before we discussed V for Vendetta. Jose and Brandon are adamant that the love interest between V and Evey is out of place and unneeded and Blake has issues with coincidences used to prove you're the puppet of a higher power. We like the energy and the story but also expected a few more surprises from the detective work that is supposed to connect everything together. Now we have to put on some masks, strap on a metal plate, blow something up, and remember, remember to hide our kinky art and the entrance to our secret lair.

This week, we eat potato soup, rice pudding, and oranges before we discuss Torch Song Trilogy. We connect with this seminal film about a gay man's search for family on many different levels. Arnold's interesting way of looking at things makes him one of the greatest characters we have ever encountered. Per his advice, we were careful not to fall into an elevator shaft, skinny dip in a school of piranha, or accidentally douche with Drano on the way to the set. Arnold, Alan, Ed, Ma, and David draw us into their world in search of love and respect. It's rare to find a film that truthfully captures the emotions of its characters. Harvey, you're brilliant and we want more.

We stayed in Texas and then hitched a ride to Georgia with the legendary Bandit, Frog, Snowman, and Fred to eat cheeseburgers and iced tea in a choke and puke before discussing Smokey and the Bandit. How many police cars crashed along the way is almost uncountable. Maybe Buford and Junior have an inventory on that. That's if Junior can manage to keep his head on better than his hat. This movie is almost as fun as driving your car through a football game. There's almost nonstop car action except for the couple of stops to get beat up and snatch a smooshy-faced kiss. Get on eastbound and just watch ol' Bandit run.

This week, we're in Texas eatin' up some down home-cookin' of T-bone steaks, baked potatoes, green beans, corn on the cob, and iced tea before we discuss Hell or High Water. Chris Pine makes brooding sadness look good, but all agree that Ben Foster really steals the show in this bank-robbing tale. Nothing in this neo-western movie really tickles Jose's fancy, but it gets two Yee-Haws from Blake and Brandon. So loud you'd think there were ten on us.

In this week's special re-recorded edition of DWAM, we are in Las Vegas to eat some spaghetti with marinara and meatballs, and some even distributed blueberry muffins before we discuss Casino. Is this movie's long introduction through exposition a hindrance or an asset? There's a lot to say about Ace, Ginger, and Nicky, but we have to watch our mouths. There are still plenty of holes in the desert around Las Vegas and we wouldn't want to be caught dead in one of those.

We're off to Central America this week to eat Big Macs and fries before we discuss Spy Kids. Jose's memory as a kid of having a film that depicts people that looked like him makes this movie nostalgically important. It's a kid's film and it doesn't really have to be much more than that to be fun. Although there are some aspects of Floop's Fooglies that are nightmare fuel, that's only an easy criticism of a film that's about the difficulty of keeping a family together. And, that's a lot of that's worth fighting for.

After the ultimate sword fight, we eat Roman stew, apples, figs, and plumbs before we discuss Gladiator. This is the ultimate dad movie with a lot of beefy macho men fighting to win the crowd and win their freedom. For a film production filled with all kinds of setbacks, it has a larger-than-life story that is far from Roman reality, yet universal in its scope. Who wouldn't enjoy a film with the original Dumbledore in it?

We start off this week's bit by eating salad, milk and cookies, and Haagen Dazs (post-show ice cream) then we discuss Man on the Moon. Was Andy Kaufman a comic genius or the father of all trolls? We'll let you decide. We agree that method acting, while great to watch onscreen, may not be so good for the cast and crew you're working with. All joking aside, we'll leave you on this note, I've got to be meeeeeeee.

We catch the Train of Thought to eat pepperoni pizza with broccoli and caramel candy tears before we get in touch with our emotions and discuss Inside Out this week. We all need a little Bing Bong in our lives, but Jose lacks a Goofball Island. Of course, this is yet another Pixar movie that makes Blake and Brandon cry. Maybe there's a connection between Goofball Island and crying?

We are all DWAM strong male hunters this week while we drink milk and eat eggs with fry bread before discussing Wind River. There is plenty to uncover on our journey through this film's vast landscape and we are willing to hike to the top of Gannett Peak to discover what lies beneath this snow-covered tale. Cory and Matt teach us what it means to be real men while Jane learns nothing from her experience and evil Pete whimpers down the mountain but doesn't get too far. We love what's at the film's core and want more Martin and Cory scenes. #RIPBen.

We joust one another with our enormous lances before we eat turkey legs and brie tart and discuss A Knight's Tale. It's a medieval story full of brilliant scenes full of emotional depth that are abruptly ended by modern music. It has everything from sports to romance and it makes us long for the tang of Alan Tudyk's tansy cakes with peppermint cream. Maybe we can change our stars and make that happen someday.

We put on our Dinner with a Movie explorer hats and celebrate Marmalade Day by eating orange marmalade sandwiches with tea before discussing Paddington. Is this a kid's film about a bear that moves to London or a work of pro-immigration, anti-colonialism propaganda? Paddington is the cutest bear we know and we'd welcome him or Mr. Gruber into any of our homes any time. We can't wait to go to darkest Peru and visit with Aunt Lucy in the next year or two.

We're headed to Dublin, Ireland in a food truck for this week's gig. We eat fish and chips and cream puffs before we discuss The Commitments. We really wanted Bernie to have a solo, but the film's depiction of an impoverished and divided Ireland in the eighties is immaculate and its music is divine. We all could use some soul and this movie has enough to spare.