Medfield College Film Society

What the heck are we doing doing a whole season on Touchstone films? .... or pictures.... OR WHATEVER!  This week, join us as we take a look at 1986's boomer outing Down and Out in Beverly Hills, directed by Paul Mazursky and starring Richard Dreyfuss, Nick Nolte, and the Divine Miss M Bette Midler herself!  Michael Eisner Loved it!  Will we?  And more importantly, will YOU?These are the times that try our souls....Follow us @medfieldfilm on social media for the latest updates.

This week the society stays within the Touchstone Pictures vault as this season winds down with 1998's Rushmore, directed by Wes Anderson and starring Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, and Olivia Williams.  Join us as we head off for prep school, then public school, and remember characters in our own youth who favor the characters in this movie.  Except for the private school, we've lived it!  And the music is great!Follow us @medfieldfilm for the latest news.

This week the society continues through the world of Touchstone Pictures with 2000's High Fidelity, directed by Stephen Frears and starring John Cusack.  Sit back and let these grand tunes guide you through all the dysfunction you can bear and more - and don't forget the Jack Black!  Are these guys ever going to do Disney movies again?!Follow @medfieldfilm on social media for the latest updates.  

Did you ever wonder what your life would be like, if it was just... DIFFERENT?  Tired of your domestic situation?  Have a little ennui with the boss at work?  Maybe wondering about your larger regrets?  These are the questions that are tackled by the 1990 Touchstone classic Mr. Destiny, directed by James Orr and starring Jim Belushi, Linda Hamilton, and Michael Caine.  Join us as another magical bartender shows us a huge WHAT IF, and the society reflects on their own Mr. Destiny moments.  Won't you, too?Follow us @medfieldfilm for the latest news.

This week, the society views the 1997 Touchstone thriller Conair, directed by Simon West and starring a cast of luminaries, anchored by Nicholas Cage, John Malcovitch, and John Cusack.  Join us as we board a plane with all the worst criminals in America, who frequently fly around the country together for some unknown reason. Bring your best hand-to-hand combat skills, sweet tea, and apple butter, because this one is a southern scorcher!Follow us @medfieldfilm on social media for the latest updates.

This week the society watches the 1991 Touchstone classic What About Bob, directed by Frank Oz and starring Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfuss.  Join us as we explore the wonderful world of mental health in New England.  Please leave your poor goldfish at home, that's just cruel to the goldfish.  Don't hassle me, I'm local! It's the Medfield College Film Society!Follow us @medfieldfilm on social media for the latest updates.

Hey! It's a Christmas miracle! The Medfield boys are back with another Touchstone classic!  Did they save Christmas?  No, Ernest Saves Christmas, starring Jim Varney as the man himself in a wonderful Christmas present to you and yours!  If you can't travel to Orlando this Christmas, we got you covered!

This week the society continues their exploration of the realms of Touchstonia by watching 1988's Cocktail, directed by Roger Donaldson and starring the one and only Tom Cruise, Doug Coughlin, and society favorite Elisabeth Shue.  Ever want to make it filthy rich?  Try bartending! But beware, it's not all TGI Friday's - there's a seedy underbelly of intrigue, high dares, Tom Cruise freakouts, and a lot of Coughlin's laws!Follow us @medfieldfilm on social media for the latest news.

Are you tough? What is tough?  Join the society this week as they watch the 1986 Touchstone Pictures treat Tough Guys, directed by Jeff Kanew, and starring Hollywood legends Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas, and newcomer Dana Carvey.  Join us as we see what tough means - rebelling against your retirement home!  Breaking up break dancing, and more!  Just make sure to wear your pinstripes and be prepared for awful Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster impressions throughout.Follow us @medfieldfilm on social media for the latest updates.

This week, the society celebrates Spooky Season with another spooooooky Halloowwwweeeeen special, watching the 1994 Touchstone Picture Ed Wood, directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp, Martin Landau, and Sarah Jessica Parker.  Beware! Take caaaare!!! Bewwwaaaaaarreeee!  Follow us @medfieldfilm on social media for the latest news

The 80s were really something, weren't they?  The ladies went to work and the men, they had to learn how to change diapers....  sometimes. But what would happen if THREE men had to change a diaper?  Could they pull it off?  Especially when dating all of the Upper West Side?  These are the questions Michael Eisner and Disney executives had to answer when greenlighting 1987's Three Men and a Baby, directed by the one and only Leonard Nimoy and starring Tom Selleck, Ted Danson, and Steve Guttenberg.  How will our four men do in watching and reviewing this classic?  Tune in and see!Follow us @medfieldfilm on social media for the latest news.

Relive the bloat of the late 90s and crazy what if scenarios of the late Clinton administration as the society watches their first movie of this season with 1998's Armageddon.  This mega blockbuster, directed by Michael Bay and starring a cast of established and then-establishing stars headed by Bruce Willis, was a board room delight as theatergoers flocked in droves.  But does it hold up to 2024 scrutiny?  Will the society survive the armageddon of watching ALL Touchstone films this season?  You DON'T WANT TO MISS A THANG of this season, so tune in!Follow us @medfieldfilm on social media for the latest info.

Season Six begins!  We take a trip to a tumultuous time in the history of the Walt Disney Company and the birth of Touchstone Pictures.We are joined by the Medfield College Players, who present the thrilling radio drama "Who's Touchin' My Stones." Follow us @medfieldfilm on social media.

The boys are back in town and take the field to watch the 1960 TV special Moochie of Pop Warner Football: From Ticonderoga to Disneyland, directed by William Beaudine and starring Kevin "Moochie" Corcoran as himself... kind of.  If you don't know Moochie, stop and go directly back to "Old Yeller" or last year's summer special where he's in little league.  If you don't know football, go back to "Gus."  Like a withholding parent that refuses to praise their child, that's all we can say about this one at this time, but please join us!Follow us @medfieldfilm on social media for the latest updates.

Send us a Text Message.The society convenes for their summer series, looking back at some TV movies Disney has released through the years.  This week, the society watches the 1986 TV movie The Parent Trap II,  starring Hayley Mills, Hayley Mills, and Tom Skerritt.  The original Parent Trap was one of our favorite movies - it was so well thought-out and entertaining, surely this one will live up to it as a proper sequel, right?  Right?Follow us @medfieldfilm on social media for more updates

This week we have the SEASON 5 FINALE - hard to believe it's been 5 years in the can!  And to celebrate, we're hunting for gold.... AND PROTECTING IT with 2004's thriller National Treasure, directed by Jon Turteltaub and starring Nicolas Cage, Diane Kruger, and Sean Bean...... and Jon Voight.  Join us as we follow clues our founding fathers left for us to connect us to a great and all powerful treasure!  Beware of ever-present 90s antagonist Sean Bean though... he's wily.  Will we find lots of gold while protecting our country's history?  Tune in and find out!

What is it about 80s-era cop movies?  Is it the wisecracks? The great villains who seem to always use fish markets as a front for their wrongdoing?  The neverending fight against corruption?  Perhaps it's as simple as appreciation for a sultry sax part.  These are the questions we aim to tackle in this week's episode, where we watch the 1989 Touchstone Pictures vehicle Turner & Hooch, directed by Roger Spottiswoodle and starring funnyman Tom Hanks,  Mare Winningham, and Coach Craig T. Nelson.  

This week the society watches the 1960 Disney classic Pollyanna, directed by David Swift and starring Jane Wyman, Moochie, and the debut of podcast favorite Hayley Mills in the title role.  Upset about how your life is going?  Maybe refraction can help!  Still upset about how your life is going?  Maybe someone else's tragedy will help! The only way to find out is to listen in as our society chews on this full meal of a motion picture.Follow us @medfieldfilm on social media for the latest news.

This week the society explores the intrigue of the Deep South in 1976's Treasure of Matecumbe, directed by Vincent McEveety and starring Robert Foxworth, Joan Hackett, and Peter Ustinov.   Hey, when I said Deep South, did it send a shiver down your spine?  Perhaps thinking of Polynesian war masks?  Glaring dancing ruffians?  Oh.... me neither.   Anyway, join us as we watch this very unique set of events and perils, and see a little vintage Discovery Island along the way....For the latest news, follow us @medfieldfilm on social media.

This week the society is back as we watch the 1993 film Cool Runnings, directed by Jon Turteltaub and starring John Candy, Leon, and Doug E. Doug.  Join us as we recall fond memories of the Calvary Olympics, Western Steer restaurants, and hear Andy's opinions on line dancing (spoiler: he LOVES it!).Follow us @medfieldfilm on social media for the latest updates.

This week the society watches the Disney classic The Parent Trap from 1961, written and directed by David Swift and starring the incomparable Hayley Mills, Maureen O'Hara, and Brian Keith.  Join us as we explore many things, but mostly talking about our admiration for Maureen O'Hara, Brian Keith, and the ranch house in this film.  Will this one get a spot securely in our all-time top 10?  Grab two (or more) fingers of bourbon, have a seat, and listen to find out!Join us @medfieldfilm on social media for the latest news.

This week the society returns to the high seas with 1996's Muppet Treasure Island, directed by Brian Henson and David Lane, and starring Tim Curry, Billy Connolly, and Jennifer Saunders.  See what happens when our friends the Muppets take on another literary classic, and one that we know well with the John Louis Stevenson classic.   It's the perfect cure for your post-holiday CABIN FEVER!Follow us on social media @medfieldfilm

Happy Holidays to you and yours from all of us at the Medfield College Film Society!  This week the society celebrates the holidays by being thankful for not having tragic lives and watching 1985's One Magic Christmas, a movie that lives innocently enough on Disney Plus.  Ever wonder what it would be like if everything was wrenched away from you in the cold tundra of Ontario?  Well, if you don't want to find out, you'd better believe in Santa.  If you do want to find out, check out this film with us.Follow us on social media @medfieldfilm

This week the society is back out West viewing the 1975 madcap adventure The Apple Dumpling Gang,  directed by podcast regular Norman Tokar and starring Bill Bixby, Susan Clark, and Don Knotts and Tim Conway... doing their thing.  We will ask the big questions, such as "why not dumplin'?" and "why can't you offer a woman a drink in Disney's old west?"  This and more awaits, you, but first.... I gotta go Mr. Donovan....

The Medfield gang is back with a movie that was near and dear to most of us - 1973's animated classic Robin Hood, directed by Wolfgang Reitherman, starring Brian Bedford, Phil Harris, and Peter Ustinov, and featuring some truly iconic Roger Miller songs.  Why don't you sit and rest a spell as we discuss this peach's place in the Disney echelon?  Nobody really likes Skippy, but that shouldn't hurt things too bad, right?  And George "Goober" Lindsay is up in here, surely that will make Andy go bananas, right?  I guess you'll just have to find out....

Hang on all ye ghouls and spirits, we're back for another SPOOOKY HALLOWWWEEEEEN SPECIAL with 1993's The Nightmare Before Christmas, based on a concept by Tim Burton, directed by Henry Selick, and starring Danny Elfman, Chris Sarandon and Catherine O'Hara.  Buckle up as we handle this duel holiday classic, but beware - Andy doesn't like musicals and this thing is full of tunes.  We just can't stop singing here at Medfield, and this one seems like just the ticket for this time of year.  Stay tuned until the very end for a proper holiday singalong with two of the podcast most-remarked-upon people, you won't want to miss it!

This week the society experiences the 1967 Disney spectacle The Happiest Millionaire, directed by podcast fixture Norman Tokar and starring Fred MacMurray, Tommy Steele, and Leslie Ann Warren.  Experience the breathtaking musical extravaganza through the eyes of Andy, or resident critic who going into this quite-lengthy film claimed to "not like musicals."  Or through the eyes of our historian, Michael Crawford, who once received the soundtrack on LP as a teenager for a birthday present.  Will their opinions hold?  Will minds be changed?  Tune in this week as we strengthen the dwelling of the Medfield College Film Society!Follow us @medfieldfilm on social media for the latest updates.

Hold on to your butts because this one very well might blow out your pants!  The Medfield College Film Society is BACK in Season 5 form, ready to endure the most punishment yet for YOUR entertainment.  Not even the familiar halls of Medfield College are safe this week as we watch and discuss 1997's Michael Eisner joint Flubber, directed by Les Mayfield and starring Robin Williams, Marcia Gay Harden, and Christopher "Shooter McGavin" McDonald.  This is the first season film that none of us has ever seen.  Could it be good? Possibly.  Will it be good? Only we know the answer, but you must listen to find out!  Follow us on social media @medfieldfilm

Join us for the preview of this our fifth season!  It's hard to believe it's been five years, but here we are on the precipice of another dive through the Disney film canon.  Join us as we discuss the slate of films coming up, and play a little game of NO CONTEXT MOVIE QUOTES.

A diamond is a boy's best friend! So says the subtitle of this 1959 Disney made-for-TV sports CLASSIC the society watches for their second Summer movie.  Moochie of the Little League, directed by William Beaudine and starring Kevin "Moochie" Corcoran and Alan "The Skipper" Hale may not have found life in our VHS collections growing up, but the character of Moochie always has a seat at the MCFS table.  Join us as we witness the mercurial rise of Moochie's athletic career and subsequent decline of his newspaper business, along with a real drag of a family and a hearty advocate in his little lady friend.  It's Moochie! Woweeee!

The society kicks off its all-new summer series with a rather out-of-the-way gem from the rich catalogue of 80's and 90's Disney television movies.  Crank the Eisner up as we tune in to 1986's period drama The Girl Who Spelled Freedom, directed by Simon Wincer and starring Kieu Chinh, Mary Kay Place, and Wayne Rogers.  Join us as we witness a story based on true events in the wild world of the Carter administration.  Just remember to always keep winning,  pester your spouse as able,  make sure everyone knows where the bathroom is, and.... Go Vols!

Season 4 - what a long strange trip it's been! It all comes down to this, perhaps the grandaddy of them all, as the society watches the 1964 Disney classic Mary Poppins, directed by Robert Stevenson and starring Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, and David Tomlinson.   Join us as we see what the Disney studio is capable of at the height of its powers, but will it be enough for our resident film critic Andy?  Will the spontaneous singing and British children be too much for him to bear?  Will the appearance of his favorite least favorite Ed Wynn be more than he can handle?  Join us for a trip to foggy Londontown with everyone's favorite nanny and timelord, but come prepared to question capitalism and absentee parenting, and bring your best cockney accent along for the ride!Follow us @medfieldfilm on social media for the latest updates

This week the society watches the 1991 Eisner-era adventure film White Fang, directed by Randal Kleiser and starring Ethan Hawke, Klaus Maria Brandauer, and friend of the podcast JED as Mr. Fang himself.  Join us as we head to the frozen Klondike in search of fortune and adventure, but beware: there are vicious gangs of dandy dogfighters who may foil your plans.  Be sure to befriend all the wild animals you can possibly find, as well as grizzled elders, and always be prepared for corpse luges and constantly having to move your hair out of your eyes.  Grab a can of beans and join us for White Fang!Join us on social media @medfieldfilm for the latest updates

This week the society watches the rare suspense-thriller in 1964's The Moon-Spinners, directed by James Neilson and starring Hayley Mills, Eli Wallach, and Pola Negri.  Join us as we explore the Grecian Isles with some clueless anthropologist tourists, but beware:  there are many glaring men and screaming cats that await you there.  So make sure you pack a good travel blanket and some Dramamine, because those bus rides will make you really want to hurl.Follow us @medfieldfilm for the latest updates.

This week the society takes a victory lap with our favorite forgotten Volkswagen in the latest installment to the Herbie franchise with the 2005 comedy Herbie: Fully Loaded, directed by Angela Robinson and starring early 2000s it girl, Lindsay Lohan with Justin Long, Matt Dillon and Michael Keaton. Get your sponsorship plugs in, look for some loopholes in the NASCAR rule book, then run by the car show to pick up some VW parts and do a little illegal street racing but  watch out for "that tree" on your way home.   Follow us @medfieldfilm for the latest updates!

This week the society hits the slopes with the 1972 comedy Snowball Express, directed by society favorite Norman Tokar and starring a whos-who of some of our past films, including Dean Jones, Nancy Olsen, Harry Morgan, and Keenan Wynn.  I hope you all are ready for this newfangle trend called skiing, because it seems to be very dangerous - heat up the fondue and grab all the steaks you can find, it's Snowball Express time!Follow us @medfieldfilm on social media for the latest updates.

Hockey one.... Hockey two!!!!  This week the society is watching the 1992 Disney film The Mighty Ducks, directed by Stephen Herek and starring Emilio Estevez, Lane Smith, and Joshua Jackson.  Let's turn back the clock to the height of Michael Eisner's powers, where a son's hobby could spawn a film franchise and a professional sports franchise.  Does it have a ferris wheel?  No.  But, there's a lot of sassy kids!  Hit the ice with us and see what a plucky band of youths can do against a youth-league hockey juggernaut.Follow us @medfieldfilm for the latest updates

Ye come seeking adventure in salty old pirates eh?  Sure, ya come to the proper place.... but keep a weather eye open!   The boys from Ye Medfield College and Film Societeers are back with a true historic gem in 1950's Treasure Island, directed by Byron Haskin, and starring Robert Newton, Basil Sydney, and Disney stalwart Bobby Driscoll.  Let's hit the open water with as many bad pirate voices as we can find, and enough plum duff to roll ye over into a stupor!

Seasons Greetings from all of us here at the Medfield College Film Society!  This year for our third-annual holiday special, we are bringing in reinforcements with our first SPECIAL GUEST (tm) to discuss the 1992 classic The Muppet Christmas Carol, directed by Brian Henson and starring Michael Caine, along with all our favorite Muppets.  Join us as we depart for another interpretation through this classic tale with our very own Dickensian expert.   Porridge, profits, pleurisy, and more, it's a wild journey - won't you join us?Follow us on @medfieldfilm on social media for the latest updates

This week the society breaks the Haley Mills seal in style with the 1965 crime thriller That Darn Cat, starring her and the one and only Dean Jones as Agent Zeke Kelso, along with a who's who of Disney greats and otherwise in supporting roles.  By the end of this, you will be begging for a sandwich with your kitchen privileges as we try and save a woman whose life is being discussed with alarming casualness.  Bring your best bucket hat and pipe and prepare for a madcat adventure as only Disney could provide in the 1960s.  This is no Doug E. Doug vehicle, it's the original!Follow us @medfieldfilm on social media for the latest updates

This week, the society doubles down on the animation, as they watch the 1963 Disney classic The Sword In the Stone, directed by Wolfgang Reitherman and starring Karl Swenson, Sebastian Cabot, and Rickie Sorensen.  Long-time listeners to the podcast may be shocked to find the consensus that bubbles up during this episode - you never know what alliances may form around here!  However, everyone can agree that tissues may be necessary for the squirrel scene, and that a witches' duel is good entertainment.  So let's be entertained, shall we?Follow us @medfieldfilm on social media for the latest updates.

It's time for another SPOOOOOKY HALLOWWWEEEEEN special.  This year, it's only half spooky, as we're watching the 1949 Disney animated package film The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, directed and animated by a crew of Disney greats, and staring Basil Rathbone and der Bingle himself, Bing Crosby.  Join us as we suffer bouts of motormania and, well whatever you call that condition that Ichabod Crane has where he is a kind of weird ladies' man and can't stop eating.  But beware of VILLAINS, particularly Winky and the Headless Horseman.Follow @medfieldfilm for the latest updates.

Mom, is it Spooky Season yet?  This week, the society dips their toes into a pond of thrills as they watch Escape To Witch Mountain,  the 1975 thriller, directed by John Hough, and starring Eddie Albert, Ray Milland, and Donald Pleasence... and some kids.  We have the Winnebago packed and ready to go, just make sure you pack a few clown dolls and we should be good to go.  Won't you join us?Follow us @medfieldfilm on social media for the latest updates.

In this our season 4 teaser, we look at three of our upcoming movies but more importantly, we look back at the life of one of our favorite actors, Tommy Kirk. Tommy passed away in September of 2021 and we'll talk about three of our favorite Tommy Kirk movies.Follow on @medfieldfilm on social media for the latest updates!

Well, if you've been following the podcast over the past few years, you probably knew this was coming.  This week, we continue our summer series with the last selection of the Summer by none other than our resident critic, Andy Brown.  And yet, Andy manages to bring one of the most likely-to-be-criticized films of the year, and that's saying something.  The society concludes a summer of special warfare with Descendants 3, the 2019 Disney Channel special starring your favorite band of VKs (which is a thing now) and... well, you'll have to see for yourself.  Be prepared, this movie may make no sense, or you may love it! What do I know?Follow us @medfieldfilm on social media for the latest news

This week, the society continues its summer series with Michael's choice, Sandy In Disneyland, a 1974 television special starring Sandy Duncan and featuring a who's who of the day including Ruth Buzzi, the Jackson 5, and Ernest Borgnine..... and so, so much more.  Witness the society stretched to the very brink this week.  Will they survive?  Will the center hold?  You'll just have to listen in and hear for yourself?  Will there be pain?  There will be.... there will be....

This week the society wrestles control back of the podcast feed to continue their Summer series.  This time Jeff is picking what to watch, and the selection is a 1970 short called Dad, Can I Borrow the Car, written by Ted Berman and directed by Ward Kimball.  Have you ever wondered what Disney would do if they had very few restrictions on branding?  Are you interested in car culture of the mid century?  Are you into borderline-inappropriate things?  Well, this may be the episode for you!Follow us @medfieldfilm on social media for the latest updates.

This week your favorite guys are back talking about your favorite film franchise from your favorite film studio.  We see what the maestro James Cameron has up his sleeve with the trailer from Avatar: The Way of Water.  It wouldn't be a great title if it didn't have a colon in it! Come on! Let's see what's inside!

This week the society begins their summer series Medfield College Film Society Presents, where each member successively picks something for the society to watch. Robert is up first, and he will be taking us through the Disney parks classic TV episode “The Happiest Show On Earth” from the seminal series Boy Meets World. So join us and get a bit of Feeny in your diet, and a lot of continuity problems, and even more problematic DATING plot lines, it's Boy Meets Walt Disney World!

It's that time folks, the Season 3 FINALE!  This week the society watches the 1989 classic comedy "Honey, I Shrunk The Kids," directed by Joe Johnston and starring Rick Moranis, Matt Frewer, and and Marcia Strassman.  You simply WILL NOT BELIEVE YOUR SIZE as we delve into our childhood memories and discuss the merits of various snack cakes, and wrap up yet another great season here at Medfield.  Join us!For the latest info, check out @medfieldfilm on social media