Stone Cold Classic

Buster Keaton's movies are among the few that people still watch in the 21st century, and it's mostly thanks to his Tom Cruise-esque willingness to do crazy nonsense in the name of entertainment. Today we discuss Keaton's favorite of his own films, "The General," a movie full of incredible shots, stunts and sequences that still manage to stun. Mostly 'cause they did all this wild boy stuff FOR REAL. I mean they just let a train fall into a river. They really did that.

Where to BEGIN? Magnolia is a three-hour symphony of grief and rage, as ambitious and uncompromising as Paul Thomas Anderson was back in 1999. It's an unapologetic stab at cinematic greatness and even when it falls short it's always fascinating. Like a lot of young cinephiles, it helped turn Matt and Dan into budding arthouse fans at a tender age, but David has NEVER SEEN IT BEFORE?!?!?! Get ready for a lot of Cruise chat, a lot of PTA chat, and a few words about them big old beefy froggies.

In remembrance of Sidney Poitier, Matt, David and Dan talk about the man's best movie, "In the Heat of the Night." Topics include Sidney Poitier (duh), Looney Tunes (of course) and the surprising durability of Scooby Doo (naturally). 

In honor of the recently departed Peter Bogdanovich, Matt, David and Dan discuss one of the man's best films, and one of the greatest comedies of the 1970s, What's Up Doc? Topics include Barbara Streisand's basement mall, Bogdanovich's incredible facility with cartoony visual gags, and a very brief history of Bogdanovich's insane life.Matt recommends pretty much all of Buster Keaton's directorial efforts, which you can mostly find on YouTube, though they're all over the streaming map. Consult justwatch.com for more info!David recommends Bullit, available to stream on HBO Max and available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms. He also recommends Shoot 'Em Up, available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms.Dan recommends Buyer & Cellar, a play written by Jonathan Tollins, available to purchase from Amazon and Samuel French, if that's still a thing.

"Gene Kelly insults a wealthy benefactor and steals his friend's girlfriend" is not a premise that should work, but it somehow does in this Vincent Minelli masterpiece. Matt, David and Dan talk this swooning, elegant little number with singer, dancer, actress, musical aficionado and also David's wife, Heather Woodward. Topics include George Gershwin, the state of musical theater in movies and, once again, Gene Kelly's fabulous ass.Dan recommends The Red Shoes, available to stream on Criterion Channel, HBO Max and Amazon Prime, or available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms.David recommends Anchors Aweigh, available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms.Matt recommends On The Town, available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms.Heather recommends 1776, available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms.

It's a legitimate question! Dan, David and Matt talk Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, a testy little Oscar winner, the auspicious debut of Mike Nichols, and a film that inspires controversy then and now, at least among the three of us. There's also a surprising amount of Licorice Pizza chat, so get in on that discourse.Matt recommends Fences, available for rent or purchase on all major digital platformsDan recommends Carnal Knowledge, available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms.David recommends Gone Girl, available to stream on Hulu and available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms.

The Beatles...is there anything new left to say about them? No! But that won't stop us from trying! So today, Matt, David and Dan talk the lads' first feature film, produced at the absolute height of Beatlemania, "A Hard Day's Night." It's a rollicking good time and it pretty perfectly encapsulates why these four fellas became the most legendary pop group of the 20th century.Dan recommends "Purple Rain," available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms.Matt recommends the Beatles Anthology miniseries, which is actually quite hard to find turns out. Buy the out-of-print DVDs or just torrent the thing, I'm not a cop.David recommends A Hard Day's Write, a book that summarizes the story behind every single Beatles song. Available at several booksellers, I'm sure!

Ah, 2021. A year so deeply chaotic and unpredictable that reflecting on it for a few idle minutes will make you feel insane. Not unlike the previous year, or the four years before that. Anyway, at least movie theaters reopened! And we saw lots of good shit in theaters! (Well, David and Matt did. We'll get into that.) Join us as we count down our top five movies of 2021, the year the movies came back somewhat!

MERRY CHRISTMAS, MOVIE HOUSE! Today we talk about the most Christmas movie Christmas movie of them all, It's A Wonderful Life. Our assessment? It's...good!David recommends The Thin Man, available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms.Dan recommends Vertigo, available to stream on Criterion Channel and available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms.Matt recommends The Best Years of Our Lives, available to stream on Kanopy and available for rent or purchase on iTunes and Amazon.

Sure, there are plenty of theatrically released movies that have become holiday perennials, but we all know the thing that's really defined Christmas for the last sixty years is TELEVISION BAY-BEEEEE! So we've decided to talk about two undeniable classics of the form and one personal wild card: A Charlie Brown Christmas, How The Grinch Stole Christmas, and The Christmas Toy.Matt recommends The Snowman (1982), available to stream on Amazon Prime and available for rent or purchase on Amazon. It's also on YouTube for free in low quality, if that's your jam.David recommends Klaus, streaming exclusively on Netflix.Dan recommends Derek DelGaudio's In & of Itself, streaming exclusively on Hulu.

It's the best Christmas movie of the last thirty years and feel free to fight us (well, Matt) about it! We're talking Batman Returns, an unclassifiable piece of blockbuster entertainment and maybe the most unfiltered Burton-y Burton movie ever made. It's impeccably designed, it's incredibly acted and it has a searing, malevolent horniness that you just don't see in comic book movies these days. It's awesome. Merry Christmas and good will towards men, women and animal/human hybrids of all stripes.Dan recommends Jackie Brown, available to stream on HBO Max and available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms.David recommends Batman: The Animated Series available to stream on HBO Max and available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms. He also recommends Darkman, available to stream on Peacock and available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms.Matt recommends The Age of Innocence, available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms, and mother! which is available to stream on Paramount Plus and available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms.

All this month the Dang Fellas (nomenclature still under review) will be talking classic holiday entertainment, and we're kicking it off with Miracle on 34th Street, the movie that legally PROVED Santa Claus is REAL because the POST OFFICE gives him MAIL!!! Topics include the power of politics over raw facts, the fun of Santa Claus, and the overall medium-temperature feelings we all have about Santa Claus, what with being Jewish and everything.Matt recommends Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas, available to stream on Amazon Prime and available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms.David recommends the "Santa/Petting Zoo" episode of Nathan For You, available to stream on HBO Max and available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms.Dan recommends watching West Side Story (1961) before chasing it with future Christmas release West Side Story (2021), and then maybe washing it all down with the entirety of the Twin Peaks saga, starring Richard Beymer and Russ Tamblyn. The original West Side Story is available for rent or purchase on iTunes and Amazon, and you can stream all three seasons of Twin Peaks on Hulu or Paramount Plus. (And you can do Fire Walk With Me on HBO Max!)

We already did a big round of Alicia Keys jokes back in 2019 so we'll spare you...it's Portrait of a Lady on Fire, a masterful French romance from Celine Sciamma. Topics include the ever-present debate about sex scenes in movies, both online and offline, digital photography in period pieces and how to make a spring-loaded, perfect tragic melodrama.Matt recommends In The Mood For Love, available to stream on Criterion Channel and HBO Max.David recommends Brooklyn (2015), available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms.Dan recommends The Glass Menagerie, in any format you can get your hands on.

*FRENCH SCREAMING* It's time to discuss the 2009 French stop-motion comedy A Town Called Panic, or Panic au Village. Topics include the luminaries of stop motion animation, the box office value of pure goofiness and, of course, Monkeybone.David recommends Whatever Tree, available on Vimeo, and Cartoon Madness, a weekly outdoor screening of classic cartoons in the very heart of Hollywood, California.Dan recommends Team America: World Police, available to stream on Netflix and available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms.Matt recommends Das Rad, or Rocks, an animated short film available to stream on YouTube.

You probably haven't heard of this bit of LGBTQ-focused Japanese psychedelia from the late 1960s, and neither had we until our guest Conner Shin brought it to our attention. Turns out it's wildly unique, pretty influential and just plain great. Topics include Asian bath house culture, the surprising durability of LGBT stories across countries and cultures, and of course...ska.Matt recommends Portrait of Jason, available to stream on Kanopy and Criterion Collection and available for rent or purchase on iTunes and Amazon.Dan recommends Chronicle of a Summer, directed by Jean Rouch, available for free on Vimeo, or Joean Rouch's The Mad Masters, which is VERY difficult to find.David recommends Hedwig and the Angry Inch, available to stream on Kanopy and available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms.Conner recommends Jodorowsky's Dune available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms, and Come and See, available to stream on Criterion Channel.

They say every great filmmaker eventually tries his hand at a western, a musical or a 17th century satirical antihero story about a dipshit social climber. Stanley Kubrick chose a musical...jk, it's the third one and it's called Barry Lyndon. Topics include Stanley's intense working methods, Ryan O'Neal's nutty accent and that oh-so-charming voice over narrator.David recommends The Favourite (2018), available for rent or purchase on most digital platforms, but not iTunes for whatever reason.Dan recommends Claire's Knee, available to stream on Criterion Channel.Matt recommends What's Up Doc?, available to stream on HBO Max and available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms.

Matt, David and Dan talk about the career-making hit for Brian De Palma, Stephen King and Sissy Spacek, Carrie! Topics include Brian De Palma's unapologetic horniness, Stephen King's insane work ethic and a surprising amount of chat about Sydney Lassick.David recommends Scanners, available to stream on HBO Max and Criterion Channel, and available for rent or purchase on Amazon and iTunes.Dan recommends Making The Shining, available to stream on YouTube.Matt recommends On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King, available at most bookstores! He also recommends the work of Joe Hill, especially Horns and Locke and Key.

Matt, David and Dan talk the French art-horror movie Eyes Without a Face with actor and comic Ryan Hitchcock! Topics include "elevated" horror, the New Beverly Cinema and a special little Peter Lorre movie called Mad Love.Matt, David, Dan and Ryan recommend Mad Love, available for rent or purchase on Amazon and iTunes.

Matt, David and Dan talk about Black Sunday, Mario Bava's masterful gothic horror debut, and the movie Tim Burton has been aping maybe forever. (Even Big Fish!) We talk about favorite Goth Girlfriends, Dan's favorite catacomb movies and the awesome power of creaky practical effects.David recommends Planet of the Vampires, available to stream on Paramount Plus and available for rent or purchase on iTunes.Dan recommends Suspiria (1977), available to stream on Kanopy.Matt recommends Phantom of the Paradise, available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms.

The fellas do their first ever double feature, the extremely short and incredibly iconic Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein. Topics include the career of horror legend Boris Karloff and his rival Bela Lugosi, the massive differences between the movie and the novel and a brief, polite disagreement about which of these two movies is better.Matt recommends Freaks (1932), available to stream on HBO Max and available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms.David recommends Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994), available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms.Dan recommends National Theater Live, a Fathom event series where UK National Theater productions are shown in movie theaters. He particularly recommends Danny Boyle's production of Frankenstein with Johnny Lee Miller and Benedict Cumberbatch, if you can manage to snag a ticket.

The fellas talk about American Movie (1999), Matt's favorite documentary and therefore a classic of the genre. Topics include existential questions about the meaning of "filmmaking," "success," and the 1996 Green Bay Packers (not really lol jk).David recommends Raiders!: The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made, available to stream on Hulu and Kanopy, and available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms.Matt recommends Lost In La Mancha, available for rent or purchase on iTunes.Dan recommends Seventeen (1985), available by going to the Wikipedia page for the movie, clicking the link at the bottom of the page that says “Link to see the uncensored version of Seventeen free,” filling out a form and clicking on the private Vimeo link sent to your email.

The Dang Fellas (working nickname) come back from a 2 week hiatus to discuss Nights of Cabiria, arguably the best movie from Federico Fellini's neorealist period. Topics include the astonishing brilliance of Giulietta, the incredible amount of Italian hand-talking, and Matt's deranged post-pandemic movie watching habits.Dan recommends Breaking the Waves, available to stream on HBO Max and Criterion Channel, available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms.Matt recommends Punch-Drunk Love, available to stream on HBO Max and available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms.David recommends Sweet Charity, available only on Blu-ray, and Frances Ha, available to stream on Criterion Channel and available for purchase (but not for rent!) on all major digital platforms.

Matt, David and Dan talk the Marx Bros. movie A Night at the Opera with Apex Legends head writer Manny Hagopian! A Night at the Opera was the first Marx Bros. movie produced by MGM, one of their bigger hits, one of their better-regarded films. It's also Manny's favorite! Topics include the legacy of the Groucho glasses, the brothers' impressive musicianship and the shocking reason behind Harpo's nickname.David recommends Stella, the 2005 Comedy Central series, available on DVD and available to stream on David Wain's website. (Seriously, it's free and it's all there.)Dan recommends Mission Impossible - Rogue Nation, available to stream on Paramount Plus and available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms.Matt recommends His Girl Friday, available to stream on Paramount Plus and Amazon Prime, and available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms.Manny recommends The Three Stooges (2000), the biopic featuring...MICHAEL CHIKLIS?!?!? Anyway, it's available to stream on Crackle and Amazon Prime, and available for rent or purcahse on Google Play and YouTube.

Matt, David and Dan talk John Huston's The African Queen, featuring Humphrey Bogart's only Oscar-winning performance. It's also the inspiration for Disney's Jungle Cruise, both the film and the ride. Just a few weeks late to the party, don't worry about it guys!David recommends The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, available to stream on HBO Max and available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms.Dan recommends The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber, a short story by Ernest Hemingway, available in several Hemingway short story collections.Matt recommends Black Legion, available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms.

Matt, David and Dan talk with Matt Mazany about Robert Altman's jazzy 70s take on film noir, The Long Goodbye. Topics include the indescribably strange sex appeal of young Elliott Gould, Robert Altman's woolly and unpredictable career, and that neat little cameo from young, hyper-buff Arnold Schwarzenegger.Matt Chester recommends Short Cuts, available only on DVD and Blu-Ray from the Criterion Collection. (It's still in print though!)Dan recommends the complete Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Also, he once again recommends The Zebra Striped Hearse by Ross Macdonald.David recommends Under The Silver Lake, available to stream on Kanopy and available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms.Matt Mazany recommends California Split, available for rent or purchase on iTunes and Amazon.

Matt, David and Dan talk one of the most intimidating masterpieces of world cinema, The Seventh Seal, and turns out......it's GOOD! And not even "So emotionally draining I'll never watch it again," good, just straight up good. Topics include the incredibly long career (and head) of Max Von Sydow, the incredibly long and productive career of Ingmar Bergman, and the vexing inscrutability of God or whatever.Dan recommends Silence (2016), available to stream on Hulu and Paramount Plus, and available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms.David recommends Jesus Camp, available to stream on Hulu and Kanopy, and available for rent or purchase on Google Play and YouTube. He also recommends Excalibur (1981), available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms.Matt recommends Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey, available to stream on HBO Max and available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms. He also recommends First Reformed, available to stream on Kanopy and available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms.

Matt, David and Dan talk Saturday Night Fever with special guest Jaya Saxena! Topics include the life and career of John Travolta, the Big Lie that Disco Is Bad, and the surprisingly bleak tone of all the non-dancing stuff. Dan recommends Dirty Dancing (1987), available for rent or purchase on iTunes and Amazon.David recommends Blow Out, available to stream on Criterion Channel and available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms.Matt recommends A Civil Action, available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms.Jaya recommends Hairspray (2007), available to stream on HBO Max and available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms.

In honor of Robert Downey Sr.'s recent passing, Matt, David & Dan discuss his biggest hit, Putney Swope. Topics include Paul Thomas Anderson's rabid RDS fandom, Downey's surprisingly humble real-world demeanor and, of course, racism. This episode was recorded several months ago, so if it seems like we're several months out of date, that's why!David recommends Network, available for rent or purchase on all major digital platformsDan recommends Fosse/Verdon, available to stream on HuluMatt recommends Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One, available to stream on HBO Max and Criterion Channel, and Uptight, available for rent or purchase on Amazon and Apple TV.

Matt, David and Dan honor the recently departed Richard Donner by discussing his genre-defining blockbuster, Superman. Topics include Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder's never-topped performances as Clark and Lois, the wild mid-point tonal shift and Gene Hackman's weird, overcomplicated wig gag.Dan recommends Mister Lonely, available for rent or purchase on iTunes and AmazonMatt recommends Alan Moore's For The Man Who Has Everything, available to read in the trade paperback collection DC Universe: The Stories of Alan Moore.David recommends Darwyn Cooke's DC: The New Frontier, available on Amazon or, most likely, at your local book store.

Matt David and Dan talk the 1954 version of A Star Is Born with Judy Garland. Topics include the many remakes, ripoffs and antecedents, Judy Garland's crazy parabolic and often tragic life and James Mason's tiny little head. This episode was recorded a while ago, so if it seems like we're weirdly behind the ball on stuff we talked about earlier, that's why!Dan recommends Meet Me In St. Louis, available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms.David recommends Sunset Boulevard, available to stream on Amazon Prime, Paramount+ and Kanopy, available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms.Matt recommends In A Lonely Place, available to stream on Amazon Prime and available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms.

Matt, David and Dan talk The Thing (1982) with horror screenwriter Eric Stolze! Topics include Wilford Brimley's shockingly nude upper lip, great dog acting and the shocking, gorgeous, unparalleled practical effects.Matt recommends: Annihilation, available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms.Dan recommends: The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, available in Kafka story collections wherever books are sold!David recommends: The Fly (1986) available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms.Eric recommends: The Hidden, available for rent or purchase on all major digital platform, Near Dark, available to stream on Shudder, and John Carpenter live in concert, available whenever Carpenter deigns to perform.

Matt, David and Dan talk Billy Wilder's Sunset Boulevard with special guest Carl Tart! Topics include Gloria Swanson's freaky blue eyes and the value of acting classes (or lack thereof).Matt recommends: Mulholland Drive, available to stream on HBO Max and available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms.Dan recommends: Great Expectations (the novel), probably available at your library right now, check it out if it's open!David recommends: D.O.A, available to stream on Amazon Prime, and The Big Sleep, available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms.Carl recommends: Los Angeles Plays Itself, available to stream on Kanopy and Mubi, and available for rent or purchase on Google Play and YouTube; and Things That Aren't Here Anymore, available for free on YouTube.

Matt, David and Dan talk about Akira Kurosawa's existentialist classic Ikiru! Topics include the great Akira Kurosawa, the great Takashi Shimura, and a lot of ruminating on whatever the fuck it is we're doing with our lives.Matt recommends: Yojimbo, available to stream on HBO Max and Criterion Channel, and available for rent or purchase on iTunes and AmazonDavid recommends: Millennium Actress, available to stream on Amazon Prime and Kanopy, and available for rent or purchase on all major digital platformsDan recommends: Hirokazu Kore-eda's Like Father, Like Son (2013), available to stream on Hulu, and available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms.

Matt, David and Dan talk about the elite-level film noir Out of the Past with comedy writer Justin Halpern (creator of HBO Max's Harley Quinn). Topics include Robert Mitchum's hobo past, that tasty, spicy dialogue courtesy of James M. Cain, and all the beautiful cigarette smoking.Matt recommends: The Petrified Forest (1936), available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms.Dan recommends: Night of the Hunter (1955), available to stream on Amazon Prime, available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms; and Laura (1944) available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms.David recommends: The Big Story  (1994), available to stream on YouTube and Vimeo; Richard Stark's Parker, a graphic novel by Darwyn Cooke; and You Are Here, a graphic novel by Kyle BakerJustin recommends: Le Samouraï (1967), available to stream on Criterion Channel, HBO Max and Kanopy, and available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms; and The Sympathizer, a novel by Viet Thanh Nguyen.

Matt, David and Dan talk about the first true zombie movie, George Romero's Night of the Living Dead. Topics include various undead precursors, George Romero's reluctance to become a "Master of Horror," and all that gross meat those poor, underpaid extras had to chomp on.Matt recommends: 28 Days Later, available to stream on Hulu, available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms.David recommends: Jennifer's Body, available to stream on Hulu, available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms.Dan recommends: Haunted houses in general, but specifically Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios in Hollywood or Orlando.

Matt, David and Dan talk with special guest Monica Padman (Armchair Expert, Rutherford Falls) about The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, Jacques Demy's colorful twist on Hollywood musicals. Turns out, Monica does not like musicals very much! Does she spit venomous insults at our hosts for making her watch such empty-headed frivolity? Listen in and find out! Other topics include the blandness of pretty boys, the ineffable strangeness of the sung-through dialogue, and this movie's true legacy--the last five minutes of the Futurama episode "Jurassic Bark."Matt recommends: Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms.Dan recommends: Pennies From Heaven (1981), available for rent or purchase on all major digital platformsDavid recommends: Sweet Charity, available to stream on Tubi or available on Blu-ray.Monica recommends: Normal People (the novel) by Sally Rooney, available at your local bookstore probably!

Matt, David and Dan talk about Walt Disney's most ambitious and unique feature film, Fantasia. Topics include special effects animation, the movie's unique production history, the many different re-edits and re-releases and that sexy, sexy goldfish.Matt recommends: Over the Garden Wall, available to stream on Hulu and HBO Max, and available for rent or purchase on all digital platformsDan recommends: Toontown at Disneyland, available to...go to physically, I guess, at Disneyland and Tokyo DisneylandDavid recommends: A Corny Concerto, available to stream on HBO Max, and The Dot and the Line, available on YouTube

Matt, David and Dan talk 8 1/2 with comedy writer Owen Ellickson! Topics include Marcello Mastroiani's nasty looking drip, how to make art about artists without being insufferable, and the former ubiquity of porno mags in suburban forests.Matt recommends: Hearts of Darkness, available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms.David recommends: All That Jazz, available on Blu-ray from the Criterion Collection.Dan recommends: Burden of Dreams, available to stream on Criterion Channel and available for rent or purchase on Amazon and iTunes.Owen recommends: Clouds of Sils Maria, available to stream on Criterion Channel and available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms.

David, Dan and Matt talk about the Istanbul cat documentary Kedi with Joey Clift. Topics include cats, other cats, yet more cats, Facebook groups about cats, and the shockingly filthy origins of Garfield.Matt recommends: Koyaanisqatsi, available for rent or purchase on Amazon, iTunes and Vudu.David recommends: Lorenzo, available for purchase on iTunes and Google Play.Dan recommends: Fritz the Cat, available to stream on Amazon Prime.Joey recommends: Cats (2019), available to stream on HBO Max and available for purchase on all major digital platforms.

Matt Lubchansky (The Nib, Please Listen To Me) joins Matt, David and Dan to talk about Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Spielberg's blockbuster follow-up to Jaws. Topics include the controversial ending, practical effects wizard Douglas Trumbull and Spielberg's incurable nerdiness.Buy Matt Lubchansky's latest book, The Antifa Supersoldier Cookbook, right here: https://store.silversprocket.net/products/the-antifa-super-soldier-cookbook-by-matt-lubchanskyMatt Chester recommends: Ad Astra, available for rent or purchase on all major digital platformsDan recommends: Alien, available for rent or purchase on all major digital platformsDavid recommends: Midnight Special , available to stream on Netflix and available for rent or purchase on all major digital platformsMatt Lubchansky recommends: Jodorowsky's Dune, available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms

Nick Wiger (Doughboys, How Did This Get Played, Earth to Ned) chats with David, Dan and Matt about Singin' In The Rain, maybe the greatest American movie musical ever made. Topics include Donald O'Connor's movie-stealing performance, Stanley Donen's quietly stellar track record and Gene Kelly's fabulous ass. And hey, a guest! Our first guest! Look at that!Matt recommends: Two For The Road, available for rent or purchase on all major streaming platforms.David recommends: Cat's Don't Dance, available for rent or purchase on all major streaming platforms.Dan recommends: Footlight Parade, available for rent or purchase on all major streaming platforms.Nick recommends: Airplane! available to stream on the Starz app and available for rent or purchase on all major streaming platforms.

This week Matt David and Dan talk Shoot The Piano Player, François Truffaut's follow-up to his explosive debut. Topics include the movie's self-reflexive themes of fame, love and American genre movies--Truffaut's astonishing transition from bitchy film critic to lauded filmmaker--and Matt's newfound obsession, the director's cut of Legend (1985).Matt Recommends: Cleo From 5 to 7, available to stream on HBO Max and Criterion Channel (also the director's cut of Legend, only available on the Ultimate Edition Blu-Ray)Dan Recommends: Varda by Agnes, available to stream on Criterion ChannelDavid Recommends: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, available to stream on Hulu, available for rent or purchase on all major digital platforms

This week we're talking one of the best high school comedies ever made, 1975's Cooley High. The guys discuss the inimitable blend of comedy and drama, Glynn Turman's slammin' torso, and Matt does a DEEEEEP dive into writer Eric Monte's incredible life story. We'll be there to love and to comfort you...while you listen to this ep! (jk we will not)Dan Recommends--The performances of Glynn Turman, all of which can be found at this link: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0877270/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0Matt Recommends--Crooklyn, available for rent or purchase on all the major streaming platforms.David Recommends--Detroiters, available to stream on Paramount + and available for purchase on all the major streaming platforms.

Matt, David and Dan bike slide into the world of Neo-Tokyo and they are CONFUSED yet DAZZLED! Topics include the awe-inspiring animation, the misbegotten attempts at live-action remakes and Matt's middle school obsession with Dragonball Z.David recommends: Paprika, available for rent or purchase on all major streaming platforms.Dan recommends: Eraserhead, streaming on Criterion Channel and HBO Max, available for rent or purchase on all major streaming platforms.Matt recommends: Cowboy Bebop, available to stream on Hulu and Funimation, available for rent or purchase on all major streaming platforms.

Ape smash! Matt, David and Dan talk King Kong (1933), one of the first blockbuster vfx extravaganzas of cinema history. We talk about this movie's many remakes, ripoffs and off-shoots, the famed King Kong segment of the Universal Studio Tour, and the ideal length for a giant, angry ape movie. ENJOY!

Matt, David and Dan talk about Matt's favorite movie, The Apartment. We talk about the low-key mastery of Billy Wilder, the high-key mastery of Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine, and the middle-key mastery of literally everyone else. It's a fun time, episode-wise.

This week we get groovy in the most Central European way possible with Vera Chytilova's "Daisies." In this episode Matt, David and Dan talk about the movie's recent reputation boost, Matt's inability to recognize visual metaphors and a brief history of Czechoslovakia in the late 60s (short version: things were bad and they got worse). Prosím, užijte si naši epizodu!

Matt, David and Dan talk about one of the sweatier-looking Westerns in the film canon, Sergio Leone's "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly," starring Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach and Lee Van Cleef. We talk about the movie's awe-inspiring score, the strengths and weaknesses of Sergio Leone and the raw, dynamic sexuality of Eli Wallach in a bathtub. Enjoy!

Caw! Caw! [UNSETTLING, DISTORTED BIRD NOISE]! It's our first full episode and we're talking Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds, starring Tippi Hedren, Rod Taylor, Jessica Tandy and Suzanne Pleshette. Matt, David and Dan discuss Hitchcock's unique personal brand, the movie's bizarre attempt at a meet-cute, and Rod Taylor's indescribable skin tone.  Enjoy!

Welcome! Matt Chester, Dan Amerman and David Kantrowitz are three cinephile friends who like watching the classics. We'll be talking about old Hollywood mainstays, arthouse favorites and foreign award-winners, movies the internet tends to ignore. We're not critics or scholars, we're just three (hopefully) funny idiots who like talking about the good stuff. So join us each week, where we'll be talking about a different gem of cinema history. #ClassicsOnly. (Maybe. Hashtag TBD.)