The Smorgasbord

A lot's happened since we've been away. Democracy is hanging by a thread and so are a few celebrities. Tom Cruise is taking the pandemic VERY seriously, Harry Styles is maybe doing some home-wrecking, Armie Hammer's getting kink-shamed, and Kim and Kanye are about to start divvying up assets. Plus, Netflix is about to shove 52 movies down our throats.

The days are getting shorter and darker, but that doesn't mean we can't appreciate the little things - like comedic genius, Rudy Giuliani contracting Covid, or Elliot Page living his truth. Meanwhile, there might be something even MORE sinister behind the HBO-Warner Bros deal than just the death of theaters, and Taylor Swift goes scorched-earth on her nemesis, Scooter Braun.

Special Guest Frazier Tharpe drops by to discuss Out of Time, the underseen and undervalued tropical noir directed by one of Hollywood's best hired guns. Who knew the fax machine could be so suspensful!

When every news story seems to fit into a theme, you've just got to lean in. So even though it's a topic usually reserved for right wing trolls, "Cancel Culture," or whatever the hell that is, is on the menu. David Fincher is making a series about it, Ellen DeGeneres and Hollywood's least-favorite Chris make their comebacks, a celebrity pastor is fired in disgrace, and we have some warnings to dish out for fans jumping into the Depp-Heard debacle.

Craig and Ryan are playing both sides against the middle in this episode as they discuss Pickup on South Street's fatalistic examination of the Cold War. We discuss casting what-ifs, talk about the distinct look of the film, and ask ourselves the question: can a movie ever truly be apolitical?

It's an important time in America, festers. Election results are in and Clare finally blows up The Bachelorette. Friend of the Pod, Greg Barron, joins to talk about where we go from here as a country, and as Chris Harrison's willing victims.

Craig and Ryan dive into Noirvember with a film about the seedy world of New York gossip columnists and find that Sweet Smell of Success is a great noir that isn't afraid to double down on cynicism

It's all about relationships this week as Ryan breaks up with Netflix and defends Brad Pitt's post-divorce galavanting, while Craig wonders how Kim is reacting to Kanye going full Frankenstein. Plus, a verdict comes down in the Depp-Sun liable suit.

Craig and Ryan take spooky movie month into overdrive with Claire Denis' take on the vampire/cannibal/zombie genre, "Trouble Every Day." It's definitely the most disturbing movie covered on the pod to date, so come ready.

In an episode that was possible more cursed than Camp Crystal Lake (dropped calls, lost files), resident franchise expert, AJ Ryan tries to convince Ryan that there's more than meets the eye when it comes to "Friday the 13th," and taps into the anxieties that transformed horror from otherworldly monsters, to the sinister figures in our own back yard.

Borat is back, Kanye West is delusional, and the Bachelorette boys are maybe a little too chill in this week's minisode

Craig and Ryan have been wandering in an internet-less hellscape, but they're here to bring you some delicious tidbits. Apparently the presidential debate format is too tough for some, Jeffrey Toobin doesn't know how to quit a zoom call, the Bachelorette is off to a rocky start, and Ryan falls prey to an internet hoax.

What do you do when you find out you've inherited a horrifying castle in a town where everyone hates? Move there and stir up shit, of course! "Son of Frankenstein" is a madcap take on a Universal classic and, as Craig hopes to prove, is the perfect for a Halloween drinking game.

Theaters are closing, the president is hopped up on steroids, Disney execs are railing cocaine. In these dark times, we all need our guilty pleasures. Craig and Ryan push for Gore Verbinski to helm all future ride-based films, wonder why we're still hearing about "The Hunger Games," and make some predictions for this season of "The Bachelorette."

Erin Kelly drops by to talk about demonic houses, future president Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, and the enduring pleasures of "The Mummy"

Craig and Ryan briefly touch on the delicious irony of a COVID-ravaged White House, lament the shuttering of Regal Cinemas, and then they're off to do an epic Trailer Watch, where they ask questions such as: who is the worst Best Actor winner of the last 30 years and why is it obviously Rami Malek?

Put away the tuxedos and throw on a Hawaiian shirt because this week we're cracking into an overlooked spy comedy that shows the value of a well-timed gunshot to the face. Despite making few waves when it came out, "The Spy Who Dumped Me" has some great jokes, just enough tender moments, and some of the most brutal deaths we've seen all month.

The Republic is collapsing before our very eyes, country music shows up to the activism table, Ellen dodges responsibility like Neo dodges bullets, and a previous bachelor winner is awarded a restraining order against her bachelor.

Pull your collars up and hat brims down. Sever all ties and burn the photos in your wallet. This week, it's a deeply personal look at the French Resistance, directed by a true blue member.

Be ready to stuff your tummies to bursting, Feasters, because this week we've got a full plate and Ryan has plenty of "fuck you's" to dole out. Captain America lets a little something slip out, Warner Bros and Sony are playing it close to the vest with pandemic data, there are about a million reasons not to see “Mulan,” and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has decided to set some standards that they're already meeting.

Put aside your feelings about nefarious government agencies, forget that you ever watched "Going Clear," and join us as we dive in more headfirst than Emilio Estevez does in this pulpy, thrilling first installment to the franchise that boosted Tom Cruise's life insurance premium tenfold.

It's a meaty episode as Craig and Ryan set some movie watching goals, implore Warner Brothers to protect Robert Pattinson at all costs, pose some Bond hypotheticals, and wade into the murky waters of award season gender politics with the Berlin Film Festival going gender neutral.

The name's Podcast. Long Podcast. AJ Ryan joins us with a wealth of information on England's favorite spy, James Bond. We follow Bond's transformation from low tech misogynist to gritty outsider, looking at Dr. No, Goldfinger, The Man With the Golden Gun, GoldenEye and Skyfall.

Ryan risks life and limb to see Christopher Nolan's new spy film, “Tenet,” Craig empathizes with a man who finds himself in a throuple with Brad Pitt, respects are paid to Chadwick Boseman, and the ‘trailer watch' intro couldn't go smoother.

Craig and Ryan try to break down a quintessential New Wave classic that proves to be surprisingly accessible and fun. Dive into the universe of Jean-Luc Godard, complete with lovers on the run and experiments in editing, lighting and narrative

Ryan wants to use the Snyder Bro energy for the forces of good, Craig has some theories about the new trailer for The Batman, and the TikTok generation comes for Ben Shapiro.

With Ryan on vacation, Craig pulls a rerun out of the archives. It's a lightning round full of films that are perfect for when you want to stay inside all day, either because you're feeling anti social, or because you're trying to avoid a pandemic.

Craig has been listening to so much Orville Peck he's decided to become a gay cowboy, Ryan tries to find a loophole to the Faustian bargain he made with Disney, and a popular conspiracy theory involving Brittney Spears is unravelled. Plus a little trailer watch to cleanse the pallet.

Our New Wave series reaches a high point with this compassionate look at 90 minutes in the life of a Parisian Singer. We talk about how the film gets us into the headspace of its characters, how the lines between documentary and fiction can often blur, and we ask ourselves: what is the winter equivalent of the Hawaiian shirt?

...And just like that, a song of summer is born! Cardi B comes in hot and dirty with WAP, a hurricane of a track that would make Shakespeare proud. Also, there's drama in Bachelor Nation and Craig and Ryan simply cannot resist.

Greg Baron joins the feast as this week's guest of honor, serving up some serious knowledge of the French New Wave as he, Craig, and Ryan dig into "Day for Night," Truffaut's loving takedown of the studio system. It's the episode so nice, it kicked off a series on the French New Wave. Enjoy!

Craig was ready to have a lovely time talking about our new favorite pop star, Kim Petras, but Ryan inserts some chaos into the proceedings and leaves Craig thinking about his choices. Also: Ellen Degeneres may not be as nice as her reputation suggests. Who knew?

Craig and Ryan fudge the rules for their month of quarantine releases and head to foreign shores to check out "The Whistlers," a Romanian comedy/thriller about criminals who communicate through an ancient whistling language.

Craig is on a quest to quantify how disturbed movies make him feel, Aditi hops on the mic to defend Taylor Swift's surprise album "Folklore," from Ryan's poo-pooing, and bad news for "New Mutants" sheds light on a cinema-devouring monster.Bonus Content: follow the smorgasbord's Spotify account to see Craig, Ryan, and Aditi's picks for the best 20 songs in TSwift's discography.

Today, we're out on the frontier, digging up bones and discussing Kelly Reichardt's tender yet unsparing portrait of the American Dream, First Cow. Will Craig and Ryan surivive out in this harsh wilderness? Probably not.

Craig's penchant for "dad movies" leads him astray, Ryan wants someone to shorten Shia LaBeouf's leash, and the world gets another intimate and disturbing look at a toxic celebrity relationship.

Days blurring together. Repetition taking hold. Craig and Ryan relate a little too much to the characters in "Palm Springs," a quarantine offering from the Lonely Island crew that runs the risk of falling prey to the conventions it's trying to spoof.

Will and Jada Smith decided to do some oversharing, and those of us in the content mines rejoice. Craig and Ryan also discuss movie universes and name-changing controversies, as well as the strange pleasures of cutting open an onion to find a cakey interior.

Craig and Ryan decide to meddle in the affairs of Autumn De Wilde, director of this year's screen adaptation of "Emma." -- a film that struggles to find itself amidst all the pomp and circumstance.

Craig and Ryan parse through a slow week in movie news by lambasting Lin Manuel Miranda and other narcissistic celebrities. Plus: Trailer Watch! And a few classic movies you should be watching during the slow summer of COVID

Now, more than ever, Craig and Ryan think it's time to stop “now more than ever”-ing and get into the shit with Spike Lee's new joint, “Da 5 Bloods,” a film that, crummy CGI aside, is ridiculously powerful and thought-provoking.

The Smorgasbord is back after hiatus with a new member on the team and an all new format to go along. This week, Craig and Ryan try to wrap their brains around heading back to movie theaters, HBO Max dropping an insane catalogue, and the controversy surrounding an old classic.

Craig offers up a favorite that he stumbled upon through Criterion roulette as a counter weight to a previous pick that westernized the Samurai. "Sword of Doom" is a visually captivating look into the soul of a samurai and the violent ends that are met by his violent deeds. (Due to quarantine recording conditions, please excuse the audible storm in the background)

The pod's first-ever guest, Aditi Harsh, stops by to take us on a trip through the ever-changing world of Bollywood. We talk about what this movie has to say about the pressure Indian kids face to succeed, the stylized nature of Bollywood, and why Indian cinema tries to make movies with something for everyone.

Blood brother of the pod, Chase Clayton rolls the dice and dishes out a movie from his childhood to see if it holds up and offers up, "The Last Samurai," a fit-for-TNT flick with dazzling battle sequences, a challenging view of modernization, and a performance from Tom Cruise that serves as a reminder of a nobler time when his movie choices weren't so homogenous.

Courtney Nelson stops by to recommend a highly underrated Irish musical about the power of youth, creativity, and optimism. Somehow, no one saw "Sing Street" when it came out but the pod is happy to evangelize for it now.

Special Guests Fer Hidalgo and Bri Machado treat Craig and Ryan to discuss "Y Tu Mamá También," a film (in)famous for its explicit sex scenes, but whose intimate, unflinching gaze reveals a lot about Mexico, class, and the fragility of male friendships.

Craig discovers a new favorite film, a Shakespearean comedy full of misadventures and optimism,1987's Moonstruck. The boys discuss Nicolas Cage's larger-than-life performance, the brilliance of the cast, and how this movie sees family as the solution for life's problems.

Bill Drexler pops in to discuss John Carpenter's first-maligned, now-celebrated opus on paranoia, "The Thing," a film with practical effects that still have the power to churn guts.

Resident kaiju expert, AJ Ryan, joins Craig and Ryan to drop some knowledge about the king of all monsters himself, "Godzilla," a creature who somehow went from somber reminder of Japan's experience with the atomic bomb to breakdancing record holder for star of the longest franchise in film history.

Ben Nelson joins Craig and Ryan to gorge themselves on a comedy to end all comedies. Billed as starring every funny person ever, "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" has a long title and an even longer run time, but man does it have chutzpah.