Direct to Audio: A Movie Discussions Podcast

*Cue Batman thumbs up gif* It is finally happening. Max and Host Spencer pay tribute to one of the greats (we love ya Val) and cover a movie that was integral to both their childhoods. This movie in itself is a riddle: What is good, but bad, bright, but dark, and has too many twos to count? That last part is a stretch but Two Face, two villains, two heroes, two versions of the movie (release the Schumacher cut)... you get the idea.

These are her first steps... well actually, her last, as Guest Theresa finally finishes watching Star Wars for the first time! Host Spencer and her get into the Sequels under the Disney regime, and everything that comes with them: the force changes, BB8, the legacy characters, the newbies, as Han says: all of it.

With it being the month of the NFL Draft, it's only fair that Direct to Audio has one of its own! Liz, Max, and Host Spencer dive into 3 unique film themes. Starting with Chicago's comedy sweetheart, Bill's filmography spans 5 decades and is widely regarded as one of the funniest/ snarkiest actors to grace the silver screen. From silver screen to (sometimes) silver as a weakness, the team takes movies from a horror character that truly will never die, unless you've got garlic on you. Finally, they decide to be mean for a bit and choose the worst of a bloated genre that they all love. But hey, if you love something, you can bash it a little.

We return to a classic movie and episode, as Host Spencer and guest Bre talked about one of the most iconic animated movies of the 90s. There's a lot of food, bad accents, and jams in this movie, so enjoy the trip back to 2021 as they cover it all.

It's time to decide which movie is the king of the world... well the 90s, that is, as Host Spencer & his Goodfellas Max & Liz chose 68 movies to Face/Off over the title of best/ most 90s movie! In the decade of movie rentals, we see film geeks Tarantino and Kevin Smith get their start, while Spielberg and Cameron run the decade with Blockbusters aplenty. From the Will Smith Alien Movies, to the resurgence of Disney, and the domination of comedy icons Carrey, Sandler, Myers, and Williams, this decade truly spared no expense in keeping you entertained from start to finish. We promise you, this one's a Scream, baby!

(Original Airdate 3/21/22) We have had a lot of "bests" on this channel, and ironically our best/ most popular bracket is when we talk about the worsts! Morgan and Jamie joined host Spencer to find out what the worst film trope is, and after relistening, you'll not be able to not see them in movies. We're sorry in advance... even though we did this already.

(original airdate 6/13/22) We do a double rewind for this one, as we go back to 2022 to go BACK to the 80s, and talk about one of our most beloved bracket episodes, where the pod decided what is the most/best 80s movie. Lots of contenders, lots of fun, lots of background noise from Max's garage.

Now that the boring awards are done, here Host Spencer and Liz come to wrap up the year 2024 in film! What an absolutely fantastic year for all different types of genres and styles. From the hyper indie Anora, to the insanely poignant and crazy The Substance to the long awaited Wicked adaptation, to the internet breaking Deadpool & Wolverine, and even a 30+ year sequel to Beetlejuice (thank god we didn't have to wait that long for Dune 2). We bring you 20 categories that celebrate it all, so dust off your tux for one more show to send 2024 off with a bang!

Love is in the air, and with love comes reminiscing about the early days of your relationship. Ironically enough for Host Spencer and Theresa we have that recorded! A much requested rewind, this episode is from Valentine's Day 2022, and it is the first Would You Rather to be on the pod. We wanted to rewind with an Oscar award winner, but we have never covered one. So, love and goofy convo wins.

This Podcast has waited over 3 years for this... and boy did it live up to what Host Spencer and his rootin' tootin' partner Theresa thought it could be. Paddington returns home to deepest, darkest Peru for a mystery/ adventure we didn't know this little bear could do! With new faces joining (hello Olivia Coleman movie MVP) and old friends returning, this movie is the fun/ heartwarming story we needed right now.

(Original Airdate May 23, 2022) We have been asking to please rewind for every episode, so, we are! Welcome to a new era in Direct to Audio: We are re-releasing episodes! The Please Rewind is a way for us to air older, greatest hits to allow new fans to catch up, for the longtime fans to re-live, and for Host Spencer to re-lax. This episode is a classic, one of the first with Theresa, where they discuss the Paddington movies for the first time. Enjoy!

No, we will not catch them all and cover all 23 (!) animated movies... but we will start with the OG. The movie that blew all poke fan's minds back in the day gives Stephanie, Damien, Theresa, and Host Spencer a chance to talk about the iconic franchise on the pod. This episode goes off the rails as we dive into Sonic the Hedgehog, Gif v Jif, and how cute Mew is. BUT, we ask the big question: Does the nostalgia hold up with time? Well, does Fire Spin work well on a Wartortle? As the game says, it's not very effective. That is a convoluted way to say "not really."

What better way to start off the new year than with chaos only rivaled by that of the real world? Gremlins 2: The New Batch is one of the most anarchist sequels to ever exist, and Max, Liz, and Host Spencer try to parse through this movie with enough decorum to make Brainy Gremlin proud. As is the running joke in this episode, THIS. MOVIE. HAS. EVERYTHING: A 24 hour yogurt shop, Science Twins, Gomez Addams trying to fix a water fountain, a vegetable gremlin, and an opening sequence literally taken from Superman IV... and that is not even 10% of the zaniness.

As the opening song goes, "It's that time, Christmas time is here!" Well... it was, and we are all dealing with the after effects. The last episode of 2024 and of Season 9 brings us Max and host Spencer talking about the Holiday Classic that brings chaos to Christmas for the Griswold family. We hope you had the hap-hap-happiest holiday, and that this can act as a nice cup of eggnog in your Marty Moose cups.

It's the Holiday Season, and what better way to celebrate it than by making friends and family compete in a Christmas Movie Game Show for the listeners! Cindy returns, Matt joins for the first time, and Theresa is here with host Spencer to play basically (but not really because we changed some stuff) jeopardy all based on Christmas movies. We obviously know not everyone can see every movie, but we tried to cover the bases on questions... so, good luck!

Ho Ho Ho, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the Pod! Max and Liz join in for the GREAT CHRISTMAS MOVIE DRAFT(s). This episode more stuffed than a Christmas Stocking, as there are 3 drafts within this episode! First, the 3 wise people of the pod draft 5 movies with "Christmas" in the title. Second, they draft animated holiday movies: 3 from before 2000 and 2 from 2000 to now. Lastly, they make the ultimate Christmas Party guest list with 4 Holiday movie characters and 1 wild card.

It's Thanksgiving week, and that means it's time to give thanks! Theresa and Host Spencer give 10* (let's be honest the asterisk is that they clearly go over and start just listing off people and movies at the end) movies that they are thankful for existing. Grab the leftovers and let's dig in to both those and this episode.

Liz, Max, & Host Spencer needed a game episode to get their mind off things, so that is what we did! 3 rounds, tons of categories, and no scattering in sight.

With Trick or Treating all done, and Spooky Season for the pod sadly in the rearview, it's time to go into our collective trick or treat bucket (or pillowcase) and see what candy is left from the Halloween celebration! Stephanie, Damien, Theresa, and Host Spencer have a round table chat where they pull spooky season/ Halloween prompts from a bucket and talk about everything from favorite candy, to the perfect spooky movie marathon, to blind ranking Halloween themed topics.

The curtain is soon to close on this year of Spooky Season for the pod, so why not go out with a bang! er, maybe a chandelier crash? Host Spencer has his rootin' tootin' partner Theresa join in to discuss one of her favorites, the modern retelling of the Andrew Lloyd Weber stage production of Phantom of the Opera... which had a few horror movies in the past... which were adaptations of a book. Look it's spooky enough and it's fun to talk about and there's a good amount of singing. Enjoy!

*ring ring* What's your favorite scary movie? A line asked by all, and answered by the pod... as long as it's a part of this franchise. Morgan & Jamie join host Spencer to discuss the Scream franchise from worst to best based on their average review score. 6 movies, hundreds others referenced, and it all starts with a phone call that changed horror forever. We discuss Sid, Gale, Dewey, the core 4, the Ghostfaces, and the way that each film is a delightful look in at where horror is at each time of release. It's safe to say if you asked the question from the start of this to a random person, they will likely say one from this franchise.

March ain't the only time of year for brackets, as the Podcast's annual tradition returns. 64 competitors ALL randomly paired to fight to see who is the Spooky Season supreme slasher, but this time around we have some twists, as we will now be adding specific horror locations for these fights. Will environments change the battles? Will some characters just forfeit (spoiler... it happens this time around)? Listen and follow along to the biggest celebration in horror in one place, and prepare for the battle.

Spooky Season takes a detour for the night at the Bates Motel, as Theresa joins the pod to discuss her first time watching the absolute Horror Classic with a capital C, Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho. Coming in knowing nothing, we talk about the shower scene that possibly started an entire genre, one of the most iconic scores of all time, and the crazy marketing campaign that Hitchcock went all out for. This is honestly one of the most important movies of all time, and we are so excited to finally invite you to discuss it on the pod.

Spooky Season's last stop in September is aptly named, as the pod detours to Tourist Trap! Caught in the tail wave of 70s slashers that don't quite know the formula just yet, this movie is surprisingly scary with some decent acting to boot. Liz and Host Spencer talk all about this one, and try to modernize it in the end by doing a modern requel. (If this happens we want 50% of the credit.)

The Master of Horror deserves his own episode, and for this Film Class, Host Spencer discusses the career of the iconic director of almost 40 years. From the 70s grindhouse style, to the 80s slashers, to the 90s meta slasher, Wes was a part of decades of horror, and we pay homage to one of the greatest to ever do it. For Wes.

It's officially Friday the 13th again, and in Spooky Season too?? What a gift. For this, you are also treated to a gift: Jason in space. It's the one we ALL have seen and we ALL have heard about, so join Host Spencer and guest Steven as they discuss why hockey gets outlawed, how nanobots kinda suck, and how this movie is all about one thing: the kills.

After 36 years... the Juice is Loose! The newest addition to the legacy sequels is finally here, as Beetlejuice gets his second coming on the big screen. Just like all the other legacy sequels, the old meets the new as Jenna Ortega, Willem Dafoe, Monica Bellucci, and Justin Theroux join Michael Keaton, Catherine O'Hara, Winona Ryder, and of course Tim Burton in the newest tale to the underworld. Host with the Most Spencer gives his honest review of the Ghost with the Most's return, so without further ado... it's showtime!

We welcome you into our Podcast's Spooky Season (just in case you are a vampire and need permission), to join us for a compare and contrast for the ages! Max, Liz, and Host Spencer are stepping in for Peter Vincent (take the night off David Tennant and Roddy McDowall) to discuss these horror comedies and what makes them so similar and so different.

I mean, these franchises just have to keep releasing movies to make the pod's ranking episodes outdated huh (thanks Halloween, Wes Anderson, Marvel & now Alien). HOWEVER... this might be the best of the bunch. Alien is back under Fede Alvarez's eye, and boy oh boy does it deserve a theater viewing. Listen after viewing and enjoy, because in space no one can hear you scream but you can hear this podcast.

I think everyone knows the podcast loves a game, so why not try something new! Steph, Dame, and Theresa are back with host Spencer to play Scattergories, but with a twist. Three rounds, each with a similar style to the original game: contestants are given a letter of the alphabet and 10 categories, and you must give answers that start with that letter. 1 point for each right answer. Someone else said the same answer? YOU GET NOTHING. YOU LOSE. GOOD DAY SIR. Let the games begin!

Well, you HAD to know this was coming. The biggest movie, the biggest podcast (don't look that up), and the biggest guests (that is true), as Steph, Dame, the Rootin' Tootin' Partner T, and host Spencer jump BACK into the multiverse to discuss the MCU debut of 2 of the best case superheroes of all time... and maybe a few more fit that bill that also appear in this movie (not you Chris, at least not for him). Let's all digest this together, and live in the world Deadpool has now created.

Summer is (sadly) almost over, and we all know the horrible feeling of the freedom winding down to go back to school or regular life. LUCKILY, this movie captures that feeling perfectly, as well as every other feeling that a camp spoof movie could capture. Max & Host Spencer discuss how ahead of its time this movie was, and how it has one of the greatest casts comedy has ever seen... plus a sentient can of vegetables.

Spooky Season in July? Say it ain't so! The pod puts on their Longlegs for this episode, as we discuss one of the most highly anticipated horror releases has finally hit theaters. Liz & Spencer talk spoiler free for about 20 minutes (in case you are scared and need to be talked into a seat), then go the rest of the time discussing the performances, the shot choices, the AMAZING marketing, and of course, the scares. Grab a blanket and be ready to cover your head, it's about to get scary.

We will not accept a pod we do not deserve... and for fans of our pod, this one is one you deserve! The finale of the Ti West/ Mia Goth horror trilogy has graced the silver screen, and Liz & Spencer were SEATED for it. Listen as they breakdown the trilogy and a spoiler filled discussion about what makes this a finale we deserved (there is spoiler free at the start, just in case you need to be sold into the movie).

It's Liz's B-Day Episode, (yes it's a little early but still) and we are keeping it Spielberg per usual. This time around we are discussing his FIRST Sci-Fi classic, and boy oh boy is this just that. The sound, the shots, the lights, the performances. One of the greatest alien movies to ever exist, and a movie that might be too good for Max, Liz, & Spencer Go to Summer Camp.

Max, Liz, & Spencer go to Summer Camp continues with Mac & Spencer actually talking about one of the key movies from last weeks draft: Disney's Heavyweights! Of course, with the 2 of them it goes off on tangents BUT they discuss how great Ben Stiller is, how it's surprisingly not mean spirited and holds up "well", and other random topics that may or may not even make sense. Just like summertime 'round the campfire!

It is officially Liz, Max, & Spencer go to Summer Camp on the pod (as we discuss in THIS episode. First up is another genre draft, where we each try to pick the 4 best representations of movie themes that we chose: Spencer with Steven Spielberg movies (with an added 5th of his best produced movie), Max with Nicholas Cage movies, and Liz with movies that take place (or have scenes at) a summer camp. It might be summer, but listen and grade our picks to see who is the best picker of them all!

It's officially Summer Blockbuster season! Liz joins for Season 9's opening episode to discuss the entire summer movie slate: From our next MCU sequel, to the animated slate, to multiple legacy sequels, to the great horror lineup, this summer has it all! Hopefully this helps you mark your calendar for your next movie night out!

This episode is a tribute to one of the all time greats. Roger Corman, the King of Cult, passed away at 98 years old, and we take this brief episode to discuss the impact and legacy of a man who helped start so many iconic careers, and whose love of cinema shone brightly for almost 100 years. Thank you for everything, Roger.

A Long Long Time Ago, Theresa and Host Spencer talked about the Original Trilogy. It's now May again, which means she is subjected to more space fights, Skywalkers, and Lightsaber battles. But this time with MORE CG. We dive into it all: the cringey lines, the EPIC lightsaber duels, and the Darth Jar Jar theory. We promise we like these movies... except Attack of the Clones. What were you doing George?

Now normally we don't like doing new movie reviews, but when a remake of a Universal Monster movie comes out, and it has Dan Stevens, and it's done by Radio Silence, and there is SO MUCH BLOOD, well then we have to cover it on the pod! Liz joins in on the fun to talk about the newest addition to vampire movies, Abigail. Unlike the titular vampire, this movie doesn't suck. Go watch it and listen to our review of this vampiric romp.

April Fools from the pod! For ONE NIGHT ONLY we are a music pod, and Max & Gavin join the show to find out who is the best American Rock Band of All Time. We had to do a for radio edit of this podcast, because the original was like a Grateful Dead song: it just kept going and didn't want to end. From Sublime to The Stooges, and from Heart to Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, we go in depth to find out who stands alone at the American Rock Mountaintop.

Award season makes its final stop at the Direct to Audio Podcast Awards, where we celebrate all that was good in film this past year. Hosts Liz & Spencer share their picks for the 17 categories, and give their top movies of the year from all genres and backgrounds. Dust off that suit or ballgown, because you have one more red carpet to walk!

This one is for Carl. An 80s action movie that takes place in Detroit, starring Carl Weathers as a tough as nails cop trying to stop Craig T. Nelson from his power trip? Sign this pod up! Guest Steven and Host Spencer get back together to discuss this crazy ride, and pay homage to one of the best to ever grace the screen.

*sigh* yes, we did it. Similarly to her mother, our souls died a little while researching this spider movie. Why did this get made, why is the ADR so bad, why is the villain not wearing shoes, and since when do fireworks break human sized holes through brick walls? New friends Stephanie and Damien don't know, and neither do host Spencer and his side kick Theresa. The web that connects the 4 of them is more confusion than a super hero power... which the 4 leads don't even have.

Hey the 2000s was obsessed with franchises and sequels, so why not have a 2 part episode? This time around Max & Host Spencer cover the back half of the decade, and give their final picks for the top 3 movies of the decade based on their choices. Will it be odd? Probably. Will the nostalgia play a factor? Of course. Does it matter? Absolutely not.

It's time to hop back into the time machine and reminisce about the 2000s! From the obsession with parody movies, a desire to start the next big fantasy franchise, to the foundations of the modern superhero genre being set, this decade brought it all; so much so that we had to make this a 2 parter! Max & Host Spencer get lost in the conversation (I mean, they have a whole episode about that in November), and thus, our first 2 part episode in 2 years is here.

It's Valentine's Day, and we celebrate here on Direct to Audio a little differently. Instead of flowers and chocolate we are about film reels and... well movie theater chocolate. Host Spencer's Rootin' Tootin' partner Theresa comes back on the pod, and they discuss their dating life through the movies they have seen. From the Alamo Drafthouse showings, to the random films Spencer makes her watch, and the themed dates, they discuss their relationship through, and with, film. The love is in the air!

Ding. Ding. It's time to tape your fists and get ready for the bright lights, as we enter the ring to see which of the 9 Rocky Movies (Creed included) is the Champ! Over 5 decades of Box (ing) Office Dominance, Sylvester Stallone's ultimate underdog story has been a staple in the cultural zeitgeist since it's first iteration in 1976, and has held onto the title up to 2023's Creed 3. Looking at the reviews with guest Steven, we look to see which will stay on top? Unlike Rocky 3, I DID hear a bell, so let the fight for sports supremacy begin!

Everyone, it's time to draft! Brainstorm all the characters you can, or in this case bands too, as Liz & Theresa join in to draft their Movie Band Music Festivals and their Declaration of Independence Stealin' Teams. For the former, it's 3 fictional movie bands, 1 musical act that has had a biopic, and one venue to hold the jams! For the latter, 5 characters to help you steal, search for, and uncover the iconic National Treasure; but be careful as a random member will be turned against you, and a random movie cop will be too!

Welcome to Season 8! This episode Max is back to talk about a director with 8 films to his name, and dozens more on top as a screenwriter, who for an entire decade had the cultural zeitgeist in the palm of his hand. We talk about the collaborators, the success, the weird end, and how strange his career feels, for better and worse. With one of the greatest screenwriting minds of all time, it feels weird to only include one line, so just think of your favorite quote from a John Hughes project, and we think that will suffice.