Stuff We've Seen with Jim and Teal

The Movie Morlock will always have a special place in our hearts, but it just wasn't the same without the dynamic duo of Jim and Teal. We are pleased to announce a brand new season of Stuff We've Seen. On our first episode back we play a bit of catch up to talk about some of the Stuff We've Seen over the past few months. We hope to make our reboot a bi-monthly occasion. Same fun show, but hopefully with realistic recording schedules. Get ready all you film compeltionists out there: the original is back. Stuff We've Seen returns now!

Let the Movie Morlock be your guide to a bunch of different shows to stream on your television sets right now. Catch up on shows like The Leftovers or Watchmen. Take in some new fare such as Tokyo Vice or Winning Time. Watch the final installments of Ozark and Better Call Saul. So, much great content is available to stream right now. In addition, The Morlock talks about several films now in theaters, and coming to streaming soon that you'll want on your radar screen. From A24's horror throw-back, X, to the fantastic Everything Everywhere All at Once, if you are looking to head back to the theaters there are some films that make the trip worth while.

Al Fraser joins The Movie Morlock to discuss several films by acclaimed Italian director, Paolo Sorrentino, including his Academy Award nominated film, The Hand of God. Al and The Morlock also talk about other Sorrention films, including The Great Beauty, and his cult film, This Must be the Place. What else? Al saw Licorice Pizza, and it brought a twinge of nostalgia to his life growing up in Southern California in the 70s and 80s. Looking for some new films to discover? This week's episode has you covered.

The Movie Morlock is back with his old pal, Teal to unleash a can of whoopass on the Academy. With Oscar ratings down the network that hosts the awards show, ABC, made some demands to remove eight categories from the main show. The Morlock and Teal discuss why this is a terrible decision. Also on this episode, the Morlock saw The Batman. Was he fan? Listen and find out. And while the decision to cut eight categories is the most egregious mishap of this Oscar season, there are plenty of other fun controversies to dissect. Come, dear listener, on a journey of complaints, but also plenty of laughs. This is an episode to enjoy!  

Every year The Movie Morlock does a recap of the Oscar Nominations, and when he was doing Stuff We've Seen it was always with Teal. So why should this year be any different? Teal is back to go through the entire list of nominees. What were the surprises and omissions? Get set for James (The Movie Morlock) and Teal to take you through it all.

This week the Movie Morlock invites film enthusiast, and Instragrammer, Richard Stracke to discuss one of the most important filmmakers of all time, Alfred Hitchcock. But while Hitchcock enjoys a stellar reputation to this day, there is no denying the fact that his last several offerings weren't up to the same level as his most known works. From Marnie (1964) to Family Plot (1976), the Morlock and Stracke pick apart the final five from the man with the famous profile. Bust our your rear-screen projectors, things are about to get real.

Licorice Pizza - Fun-loving, 1970's set coming-of-age romantic comedy, or dark look at an older woman's inappropriate relationship with a 15 year old boy set against the backdrop of gropey film producers and racist restaurant owners?  Who knew Paul Thomas Anderson's trip down nostalgia lane was going to be so controversial? James Kent, The Movie Morlock, and his frequent cohort, Shannon tackle the controversies with two different takes on the movie.  For the Morlock, this discussion was definitely a highlight, because it is a conversation that dives beneath the surface level of a movie that sometimes gets relegated to nothing more than social media scuttle, and certain films deserve a deeper dive.   Also on this episode a brief discussion of The Lost Daughter and Power of the Dog.  

Just in time for the holidays the Morlock is back with three films he checked out in the theater. First up is Lady Gaga in House of Gucci. Is Ridley Scott back with his new movie, or is it more of his style-less fare? Next up is Steven Spielberg's semi-reimagining of the musical classic, West Side Story. It's not doing well in theaters, but that doesn't mean the Morlock wasn't impressed. And finally the Movie Morlock took in a rare 70mm screening of Paul Thomas Anderson's, Inherent Vice. Seeing a 70mm print of this particular film was a long goal of the Morlock's and he's excited to tell you all about it.  

It was an action-packed Thanksgiving weekend of entertainment for The Movie Morlock. He devoured all eight hours of The Beatles: Get Back on Disney plus, and he took a whirlwind same-day round-trip to NYC to catch Licorice Pizza in 70mm.  Enjoy this episode and make sure to catch these two delights when you can.

Director Edgar Wright offers up a tantalizing psychological thriller that's loads of fun. Last Night in Soho is the film, and the Movie Morlock and his guest, Shannon from whatshannonwatched were keen to dissect the movie.   Last Night in Soho. is filled with eye-popping visuals and clever call-backs to various British films of the 60s, and it's wide-screen cinematography is best appreciated on the big screen. It's still out in theaters, and Shannon and the Morlock hope you can venture out to see it.   This podcast discussion contains mild spoilers, but it's been edited down to omit any large plot reveals. 

Two men enter: one man leaves victorious. The Movie Morlock and his special guest, a self-professed world's greatest Jake Gyllenhaal fan, duke it out over who's seen the most of Jake's 39 feature films. This episode is loads of laughs, and if you are looking for some Jake Gyllenhaal films to see, this episode's got you covered.

Like the Squid Game? Want more dystopian futuristic societal experimentation run amok? Then try this 2019 offering from Spain, The Platform. This isn't a game, but competition for survival is fierce, and if you get out with your life you may just win yourself higher education credits. The Movie Morlock is joined by Al Fraser, one of the co-founders of The Cambria Film Festival to discuss this thought-provoking movie that may be hard to stomach, but if you have an appetite for it, the movie may reward you.   The Platform is available to stream on Netflix.

Shannon, from Whatshannonwatched on Instagram, is back to discuss one of her favorite films. Shannon and James (The Movie Morlock) dive into director Ron Hardy's 1973 Folk Horror classic, The Wicker Man. Along the way there is some discussion about John Carpenter and his finest creation, Michael Myers. James saw Halloween Kills, and has a few surprisingly nice words for the new sequel.

James Bond is back after many years, and some pandemic delays. Worth the wait? The Movie Morlock shares his thoughts on Daniel Craig's final outing as 007. Also, it's October so that means horror movies. And the Morlock watched a notorious stinker that he was always curious about. Hear the Morlock's thoughts on the legendary Exorcist II: The Heretic.

This week the Morlock checks in with the Soprano's prequel, The Many Saints of Newark, plus Jake Gyllenhaal is the angriest 911 operator you hope to never get in case of an emergency in The Guilty. The Morlock also peeps a British teen exploitation film from 1960, Beat Girl, and then finishes things off with a series he's currently binging, the Netflix international sensation, Squid Game.  There's a lot of entertainment packed in 40 minutes.

Actor/Musician/Voice Over Artist Craig Wasson joins James Kent (The Movie Morlock) to discuss the 1979 film, The Outsider. This little-seen gem is a stark depiction of the political turmoil in Northern Ireland during The Troubles in the early 1970s. Filmed while the conflict was still in full-force, both sides took issues with the film's unsparring portrayal of the lengths factions will go to see their goals met. Caught in the middle is Wasson's idealistic American Viet-Nam veteran who finds himself a disposal pawn to further each's cause. Wasson gives listeners an inside peak into the making of this film, and shares some additional tales of his adventures over the years. You'll definitely want to check out this episode.

This week on The Movie Morlock, James Wan's new horror thriller is the topic of discussion. The Morlock (James Kent) invites film and horror enthusiast, Shannon, from the Instagram account, whatshannonwatched, to discuss the movie currently playing on HBOMAX. Shannon likes all movies, and give her time she may watch every film ever made, but horror holds a special place in her heart. And that is why listeners of this podcast can trust Shannon's opinion on this movie, even more than trusting the Morlock. But hint, hint--their opinions are similar.   Get set for some listening enjoyment, and a few laughs along the way.

Welcome to the Movie Morlock. Host James Kent (formally of Stuff We've Seen) is the Movie Morlock. Each week he'll bring you a discussion on a particular film, or perhaps two. Sometimes He'll have a guest, and sometimes he'll go it alone.  And this show is an opportunity for you, the listener, to contribute as a guest. If you have a passion for movies, and want to discuss a particular film all you need to do is get in touch with the Morlock, and he'll schedule you on the show. Reach out to moviemorlock@gmail.com and let him know what you'd like to talk about.

When guest co-host Mike McQuilkin stops by Stuff We've Seen, anything can happen and usually does. Things kick off with a discussion on the new James Gunn film, The Suicide Squad. Next Jim and Mike discuss the new Nic Cage film, Pig, and then dive into a little informal A24 gab fest chat around The Green Knight. Finally, it's time for an early 90s re-evaluation on the mega-bust, Hudson Hawk. Wait. Re-eval? Hudson Hawk? Surely you must be joking. We're not joking, and don't call us Shirley. Mike sticks to his guns on his modest appreciation for this overblown mess, but Jim is having none of it. Lots of laughs in store for you. Enjoy Hawk fans. We know you're out there.    

After watching 26 #NeoNoir films on #TheCriterionChannel Jim and Bill finally arrive at Part 5 of their journey. That's right, it's the final Neo Noir episode. Concluding this series of episodes, Jim and Bill first discuss Swoon, an interesting if somewhat dubious fit into the Neo Noir genre. Next Jim and Bill dive into John Dahl's 1993 sleeper hit, The Last Seduction, featuring a delicious (to put in Billy's words) performance by Linda Fiorentino.  With room to spare since Criterion left a big gap between 1994's The Last Seduction and their final entry, 2005's Rian Johnson Neo Noir, Brick, Jim and Bill provide several additional 90s Noirs you don't want to miss, including Zero Effect. Brick is the debut entry from Knive's Out's Rian Johnson, and it is an impressive debut to say the least. Johnson brings the Neo Noir detective world inside a high school setting, and there he utilizes all of the traits of the Noir genre and subverts them at every turn. Is it fun to watch high schoolers act as if they are inside a Raymond Chandler story? Yes. Yes it is.   Finally, a listener of the Neo Noir series suggested a new Neo Noir film as a pairing with Brick. 2020's The Kid Detective starring Adam Brody. Jim checked it out, and his take is it is a darkly comic Neo Noir that could very well be your next hidden gem. 

Hah, just like good old Friday the 13th, they promised us it would end at 4, and they lied! This episode is the 4th installment of our look at The Criterion Channel's 26-film Neo Noir series, but we will still bring you one more chapter next week. So look out for Film Noir Part 5: The New Blood, streaming soon. But on this week's show Jim and his guest for this series, Bill Muir, pick up pretty much where they left off--in 1984. They touch on Brian De Palma's Body Double, and then work their way into the early 90s. Lot's of additional films along the way, including one of the best Neo Noir films of the 1980s, To Live and Die in LA.   So, so much to offer you faithful listener on this episode. Get ready to become a Neo Noir expert.

Jimmy, Billy, and the rabbit are all back for this third installment of Stuff We've Seen's look at the Criterion Channel's Neo Noir Series. Picking up where they left off in part 2, Jimmy and Billy begin with 1978's Laura Mars. And next making their way into the 80s, it's anyone's guess how far they'll get, but one thing is for sure: there will be a part 4!

Jim, Bill, and Bill's poor suffering rabbit are all back for this second installment of Stuff We've Seen's look at The Criterion Channel's 26-film examination of Film Noir. The action picks up with 1975's Night Moves, and hilariously winds its way down with 1978's The Big Sleep. Enjoy the laughs, along with some recommendations.

Neo Noir. This month the Criterion Channel offers up 26 films from the Neo Noir genre. Some of these movies are more Neo Noir than others, but all are interesting entrees into one of Jim's favorite film genres. With so many movies to explore and watch, it will take several episodes to take through them all. In this first episode, Jim and his guest co-host, Bill Muir, begin their Neo Noir journey in the 1970's, and tackle Criterion's list, year by year. Enjoy this walk down anti-hero lane, and stay tuned for future episodes of this exploration into the dark side of human instincts and behaviors.

Jim and Teal are back, and this week they're bringing you movies--lots of movies. From Steven Soderbergh's latest, No Sudden Move, to the Summer Blockbusters, F9 and Black Widow this episode has it all. We've got tangents and side avenues, and a whole bunch more. It's an action-packed episode so get down to it, friends and listeners!

The Somerville Theatre in Davis Square, Somerville, Massachusetts is one of Jim's all-time favorite cinema haunts. But since March of 2020 the pandemic's kept the theatre closed. But good news awaits those fans of cinema, and seeing films projected in formats such as 35MM and 70MM, the Somerville Theatre is set to reopen its doors later this summer, and with some exciting new changes. Joining Jim and Teal to discuss those changes, and what the Somerville Theatre has in store for fans of all types of entertainment is Ian Judge, Creative Director of The Somerville Theatre. Ian's spent a good portion of his professional life managing cinemas, including the past 19 at the Somerville Theatre.   We don't want to spoil all of the goodies, so you'll have to take a listen and find out for yourself what Ian and the Somerville Theatre have in store for you.

Things get controversial when Jim and his guest, Bill from Queens tackle the casting dustup from the new musical, In the Heights. Not the same controversy, but perhaps a little controversial is Jim actually likes the new Marvel show, Loki. Hear his take. The last part of this episode focuses on three early works from shockmaster, John Waters. Multiple Maniacs, Pink Flamingos, and Female Trouble are all playing on Criterion Channel, and if you have never seen them, and have the stomach for some outrageousness, then you owe it to yourself to check them out.

This week marks a new chapter for Stuff We've Seen. Jim and Teal are still behind the mic, but this week they stepped in front of the camera for their first ever video podcast. Now, you are listening to the audio version, but if you want to catch the video all you need to do is go to their website Stuff We've Seen and you'll find it there. This week Jim and Teal discuss Booksmart (which Teal finally caught up with,) Plan B, and then Jim takes a walk down 80s lane with a rewatch of Flashdance. What a feeling! You can now finally have it all with Jim and Teal on video.

For Jim and Teal's third Netflix teleparty they decided to break down the bombastic, mean-spirited, over-corporatized action clunker, Six Underground. If you want lots of quick cuts, slow-mo's, blaring rock tunes, and insipid dialogue you get Michael Bay to direct. And if you think you are going to cash in on the meta-violent action fun of Deadpool you hire the Deadpool screenwriters and star Ryan Reynolds.   If you're curious about this movie, and we know you are, why not watch it the way it was meant to be watched, with Jim and Teal? Simply press play on Netflix at the same time Jim and Teal tell you to on the podcast and then listen along as they tear this film a new one. But guess what? You might just have a blast, and that is what Jim and Teal found out. It's fun to grab a pal and make fun of a $200 million dollar Netflix movie. So go get streaming, young film enthusiast. You deserve some yuks.

James and Teal are back in action, and action was the name of the game this episode as they discussed Zack Snyder's Army of the Dead (now streaming on Netflix.)  This week J&T pay homage to the great Charles Grodin who passed away at 86. From The Heartbreak Kid, to Seems Like Old Times, and Midnight Run, Grodin played a role in many a movie memory for our fearless duo. And Teal has a bit of a mini Marvel rant that should entertain.  Lots more in store, but you'll have to listen to find out.

What Happened Was... from 1994 is that hidden indie gem from the 1990s is that is worth a rediscovery. This week on Stuff We've Seen, Jim and guest co-host, Bill from Queens discuss Writer/Director/Star Tom Noonan's 2-character bottle movie with a breakout performance by actress Karen Sillas. Both Jim and Bill agree that Sillas' performance is one of the best of the 1990s. Along with this discussion Jim and Bill do some Hopkins and Nolte impressions, and dive into the gambling underbelly with Robert Altman's California Split.

If Billy Crystal were singing it's a good bet he wasn't singing, 'It's a Wonderful Night for Oscar,' after Sunday night's bizarre pandemic-limited ceremony. So many blunders occurred that night, that hate it or just not willing to say you hated it, the Academy Awards could not overcome a year in which many big Hollywood films never released, and the typical yuks and attempts at comedy were sidelined. What did we get instead? A whole lot of long, long, speeches, and very little in the way of entertainment. But what about the awards themselves? Jim and Teal have the entire breakdown, and the majority of this episode is devoted to discussing the Academy Awards for the last time until...next week? Are the 2022 Oscars next week? It feels like it should be time to start that train up again. Kidding. But only slightly. What else? Stay through the entire episode to catch Teal's take on the Bob Odenkirk-starring action-genre film, Nobody. Jim mentioned last week he loved it. But what does Teal think? You'll have to listen to find out.   

The Cinerama Dome is no more. Well, at least for the moment it is no more, and Jim and Teal certainly hope there are more film screenings in its future. But for now, The Cineramadome is shuttered. Jim and Teal take a fond look back at the Cinerama Dome and their own personal histories seeing movies in the fabled Hollywood film palace where widescreen movies once reigned supreme.  This week Jim and Teal take one final peak at some Oscar nominated films with their reviews of The Father, and Another Round. Jim talked about Another Round with Bill from Queens a couple of episodes ago, but now Teal's caught up with it, and has a few things to say. Is The Father worth all the hubbub? Jim and Teal have a slight disagreement with one enjoying it a lot more than the other. Which one found issues with the way it was filmed? It's time to listen in and find out.

This week Teal is back from his spill down the stairs, and the boys touch base on Snyder cuts and Marvel bits before tackling their main topic, the Criterion Channel. This month marks the second anniversary of The Criterion Channel, and to celebrate Jim and Teal discuss some of the great collections now playing on the channel, including the musical works of Ennio Morricone, and Lovers on the Run. Tons of films in the mix for this episode, so what are you waiting for, film lover? Get set to enjoy some awesome film banter from the duo that keeps bringing you the film experience one podcast at a time.

Teal is tied up this week, or tied down to a bed after some bizarre accident so stepping up to the plate in his place is frequent guest, Bill From Queens.  This week's episode is a bit of a free-form affair with Bill and James discussing everything from Wanda Vision to DC and Marvel Universes, and the latest King Kong / Godzilla movie.  After sifting through the mud of low-brow entertainment, Bill and James talk Thomas Vinterberg's Oscar Nominated film, Another Round. The film starring Mads Mikkelsen is a spectacular achievement, and its one that James and Bill hope people will search out and watch. It's currently streaming on Hulu.   Speaking of streaming, Criterion Channel is offering up a whole mess of Ennio Morricone scored films this month, 23 to be precise. It's a great opportunity to watch some of the films behind the legend's many memorable scores. To kick things off, James watched the genre gangster film, Machine Gun McCain. And like many Italian imports of the era, it features a few known US celebrity actors mixed in with a whole slew of poorly dubbed Italian ones. This time around we get Peter Falk, John Cassavetes, Gena Rowlands, and international star, Britt Ekland. Cassavetes is Hank McCain, early released from prison to help his son knock off a Las Vegas casino. With the mob intermingled in the affairs of the casino, things are about to get sticky. But McCain don't care. He may just go for the money anyway.   Lots of laughs in store for listeners this episode as James and Bill yuk it up and stroll down a few blocks of memory lane.

To celebrate the official 100th episode of Stuff We've Seen (and yes, technically its 101, but one episode was a special 20 min thing that wasn't didn't really count) Jim and Teal talk about some of their biggest film re-evaluations. And after that, both Jim and Teal discuss a film the other one asked them to watch for a long time. Finally, Jim reveals his thoughts on Justice League: The Snyder Cut. And it isn't the reaction you might expect if you are a listener of the show.

Jim and Teal do their 3rd Annual Oscar Nomination review. They have all the nominees for you, so let the fun begin! Did your favorite film get nominated this year? Were there even favorite films in this pandemic-condensed movie season? 

Siskel and Ebert were huge influences on Jim and Teal, both who watched their show since their PBS Sneak Previews days. So, for this week's episode they've got four films to review, and they decided to review them in a similar fashion to the format Siskel and Ebert did on their show.  The four movies this week are: The United States Vs Billie Holiday, I Care a Lot, Barb and Star go to Vista Del Mar, and Minari. Some vastly different genres this week. Are the boys thumbs up or down? You'll have to listen to the episode to find out.

This week Jim and Teal have a few recommendations and a couple of warnings. The good stuff: Nomadland, Possessor Uncut, and Judas and The Black Messiah. The warnings: The Little Things and Music. What else? Jim and Teal take a walk down controversy avenue as they weigh in on the saga of Gina Carino. Lots to unpack in this episode so get those earbuds on and start listening.

Scott Pilgrim Vs The World is a film that is divided into two camps: Those who get it and love it, and those who think it is a crappy, angry, misguided look at the male obsession with manic pixie dream girls. Jim and Teal found themselves stuck in the second camp. Were they simply too old for the movie's target audience back in 2010? Or was this a case of a movie that is better upon re-evaluation?  These days many regard Scott Pilgrim as Edgar Wright's 2010 cult classic, so Jim and Teal decided they needed to give this movie a second look. So, for their second Netflix watch party experience (which is now called teleparty) they opted for Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World.   So get your streamers ready, and when Jim and Teal tell you to, hit play and follow along with their commentary.  Please Note: Unlike the majority of Stuff We've Seen podcasts, this episode is designed to be played in synch with Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World. You may notice some gaps with silence when Jim and Teal are watching and not saying anything poignant or smug. Also, at the start of the first fight scene Jim and Teal had an internet drop out. They paused the movie and got things back on track. That stuff is edited out, but if you notice things go slightly out of synch, you may need to pause and adjust to get it right. We apologize for this. 

It's a week of genre excitement as Jim and Teal break down the horror comedy film, Wolf of Snow Hollow by Jim Cummings, and then take a dive into the 'jump the shark' waters of c-grade movie entertainment with the action/horror WW2 bomber-themed Shadow in the Cloud. What starts out as an intriguing bottle movie quickly dissolves into an over-the-top action film that defies all levels of believability. Chloe Grace Moretz tries her best to salvage the wreckage, but there is no pulling this plane out of the nose dive. And if things weren't bad enough, Jim and Teal discover the film's screenwriter is Max Landis, bad boy son of director John Landis. You don't want to miss what Jim and Teal have to say about that. But here is one vessel that wasn't sinking, Captain Phillips. Teal caught up with the 2013 Paul Greengrass action thriller, and Jim did a rewatch. All this, plus Jim continues with his exploration of Japanese Noir films with the crazy insanity of Branded to Kill. 

This week James and Teal have two big 2020 year-end films for you, Promising Young Woman and News of the World. We promise to keep the spoilers to a minimum, but be warned: there are some spoilers mentioned for both movies. News of the World it probably doesn't matter as much, but if you want to be 100% surprised by Promising Young Woman, you may want to skip Podcast town at about the 45min mark. What else? James takes Russell Crowe's side in the recent Master and Commander dust up, plus he discovers some interesting Japanese Noir on Criterion. There is a lot to like in this episode so what are you waiting for? Listen now!!

Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors. Ghost Story. Body Double. These are a few of the iconic genre films from the 1980s people remember, and on part 2 of SWS's interview with Craig Wasson he tells us stories from all of three of them.  And tune in to find out which host, James or Teal, had a crush on Heather Langenkamp.

Craig Wasson is a name many will recognize from some key films in the 1980s, from Body Double to Ghost Story and Nightmare on Elm Street. Wasson was certainly a favorite of Both James and Teal, and through a bit of luck, and an introduction made by their friend Al, Wasson was kind enough to come on Stuff We've Seen. This is the first of two episodes featuring guest, Craig Wasson. In this episode Wasson talks about how he got started with acting, and you'll hear how some coincidences, luck, and talent with the guitar got him started on his acting journey. We'll cover Wasson's early work in Boys in Company C and Go Tell the Spartans, to his breakthrough role in a real hidden gem of a film, 1981's Four Friends, directed by Arthur Penn. Along the way, you'll hear some spot-on  Wasson impersonations of some legendary actors, and some great stories from an actor whose 70s-80s filmography is worth further exploration.  

This first episode of 2021 starts off with a couple of streaming stinkers, WW84, and Midnight Sky. WW84 is HBOMax's much anticipated sequel to Wonder Woman, and it hits so far off the mark the movie left Jim wondering who green lit this thing? While Jim hated the Wonder Woman sequel, Teal found plenty to gripe about with George Clooney's Midnight Sky. All is not lost, dear listener. Bill from Queens stopped by the show to help Jim and Teal out with a discussion on film director, Joseph Losey. Flying way under the appreciated film director radar, Losey directed some classic films, and for the first time Jim and Teal caught up with them. A special shout out to listener, Andrew Parry, who wrote Jim and Teal and asked if they would discuss Losey's The Servant (1963) and Mr. Klein (1976.) And boy, oh boy, were they glad for the suggestion. While the new offerings from hollywood might let them down, discovering Losey is a film-lover's dream.  It's a jam-packed episode with lots of movies. Several of Joseph Losey's offerings can be found currently on the Criterion Channel, and some on Amazon Prime as well.

Mank is one of the eagerly awaited year-end films from Netflix. Directed by David Fincher, Mank is about the writing of one of the most famous films of all time, Citizen Kane. How does one go about writing a fictionalized film loosely based on William Randolph Hearst? How does one tell a fictionalized story about the washed up Hollywood writer who would create a genuine script masterpiece?  So far, the critical response to Mank is mixed. What were people expecting? Is Mank too much of an art film for the regular film goer? Did people just want a detailed look at the making of Citizen Kane? For that, they could rewatch the HBO film, RKO 281, which pretty much covers that. This week Jim and Teal dive into all these aspects of Mank, and give their insights on what they felt the movie gave them as filmgoers.   In addition to Mank, Jim and Teal start of the program with some tales of holiday films they've watched during the past month, including a couple of lumps of coal, Noel and Last Christmas.  Happy Holidays everyone!! -J&T

Jim and Teal triple their money with this third installment of their look at the films of Brian De Palma. In part three they take a peek at some of Brian's later work, and they zero in on two films, Body Double and Raising Cain.  Lots of interesting stories and tidbits for a listener to enjoy. So what are you waiting for? Go listen, and enjoy!

With over 30 features to his credit, Brian De Palma can't be covered in one episode, so Jim and Teal give you part 2. And even Part 2 won't cut it, so there will be a third installment on the way. In this episode Jim and Teal talk Carrie, The Fury, Dressed to Kill, The Black Dahlia, and Casualties of War, plus sprinkings of his other work make it into the episode as well. Next week's episode will cover Body Double and Raising Cain, and some other De Palma stuff. Enjoy!

What began as a curiosity turns into a full-blown Brian De Palma obsession as Jim and Teal tackle the filmography of one of cinema's great genre technicians. This episode is just a starting point of discussion, and there will be several more episodes of De Palma to come.  We're not just talking Scarface, Untouchables, and Carrie, people. We are going full rabbit hole with this director, and uncovering early work, late entries and everything in between. The hope here is, after listening to our De Palma episodes, you'll want to check out more of his work too.

How did things go off the rails so quickly? Jim and Teal quickly find themselves down a rabbit hold of Robert Zemeckis' making, and the only way out of it is through the films of Yorgos Lanthimos. Teal finally watched Alps and Dogtooth, and he's all in with the daring Greek director's original filmic vision.  But that then sends Teal into complaint mode, as he found himself watching two paint-by-numbers genre movies on Netflix that were so devoid of style and substance, he swears they were designed by an algorithm. Sticking with the genre theme, Jim does some exploring of his own, and makes his way down under for a little Ozploitation. This episode is full of weird, wild twists and turns. Enjoy!

This week Jim and Teal tackle the new Sofia Coppola film, On the Rocks, plus they take a deep dive into the many roles of Jack Nicholson. All this plus Jim watches one more Criterion Horror film, The Vampire Lovers, and Teal examines 1BR.