Back to the movies

Leonardo DiCaprio has brought his A-game in his continued crusade against the academy with The Revenant. Before doing our full review, Back to the Movies talks Leo's chances and our reactions to the 2016 Oscar nominations. The Revenant may have garnered an unprecedented 12 nominations, but GoodTrash Media favorite Mad Mad: Fury Road rides close behind with 10 of its own. Does George Miller stand a chance at winning an Oscar at 70 or does Iñárritu have his Birdman victory lap ain the bag? With The Martian and The Big Short bringing an even tighter competition, Caleb and Arthur throw in their early predictions for who is taking home the gold. 

Last week was a rough time in pop culture after the loss of the Die Hard and Harry Potter star Alan Rickman. Back to the Movies takes pause to remember the impact and importance of Alan Rickman on their lives.

This week's review is The Revenant from academy award winning writer/director Alejandro González Iñárritu. The film follows Hugh(Leonardo DiCaprio) as he seeks revenge on John Fitzgerald(Tom Hardy) for killing his son and leaving him for dead. The film has Leo performing some of the most difficult acting any performer could ever dream of including fishing in ice water, eating raw bison, and sleeping inside a gutted horse. Iñárritu hasn't pulled a single punch when it comes to authenticity, but does it really make for a great film? Arthur and Caleb their opinions on whether or not bleeding for an art actually makes great art.

What else is there to say? Tune in to hear our full thoughts!

The Revenant - Leo vs The Academy

News - 2:59

• Alan Rickman
• Avengers: Infinity War will have 67 Marvel Characters

Oscar Predictions - 14:10

The Revenant Review - 38:08

Recommendations - 57:04

*Spoilers -59:05*

Like what you hear? Help us produce even more by supporting us on Patreon

Dishonest Wall Street investors and fraudulent banks are the hot topic on this week's Back to the Movies as we review writer/director Adam McKay's The Big Short. After taking the holidays off, Arthur Gordon has returned to his role as voice of the cinema and he's joined by recurring guest host Alexandra Bohannon. Before our review of the week we take a look at a few of the latest items in movie news including the report announcing Christopher Nolan's upcoming World War II drama and Star Wars: The Force Awakens box office domination. In GoodTrash news, Alex talks more about her new show and our newest sister podcast The Film Syllabus.

Now that we've crossed into 2016, we spend a few minutes talking about our most anticipated films of 2016. Do we pick the Potter spin-off or Captain America Civil War? The Nice Guys or the Jumanji remake(you read that right)?  Tune in to hear our picks.

This week's movie The Big Short stars Christian Bale, Steve Carrell, Ryan Gosling, and Brad Pitt and chronicles the story of a handful of experts in finance who decide to bet against the US housing markets in the months leading up to the 2008 financial crisis. The film recently landed four Golden Globe nominations and is one of the frontrunners for the 2016 oscars. In our discussion we talk a little bit about our memories of the 2008 crash and the impact the events of The Big Short that is still being felt today. In our review discuss the killer performances on display and even contemplate where this film falls among the best released in 2015.

The Big Point: Reviewing The Big Short

News - 4:07

BttM's Most Anticipated Movies of 2016 - 14:22

The Big Short Review- 28:56

Recommendations - 53:17

*Spoilers* - 58:20

Like what you hear? Help us produce even more by supporting us on Patreon

Back to the Movies is kicking off 2016 by reviewing one of the biggest holiday releases The Hateful Eight written/directed by Quentin Tarantino. In this week’s edition we’re joined by Alexandra Bohannon, Dustin Sells, and Dalton Stuart from the GoodTrash crew to talk with special guest host and local Oklahoma City filmmaker Nick Sanford about The Hateful Eight.

The Hateful Eight is Tarantino’s return to the western genre and stars Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern, and Demian Bichir. The entire cast of mostly understated character actors play a slew of despicable characters locked in a hostel during a blizzard. In our discussion, we talk a bit about our histories with Tarantino before deciding whether or not The Hateful Eight is worthy of his reputation. We give our review before dropping the spoiler bomb and talking the film’s biggest secrets. How well do the twists work and what exactly is The Pulp fiction writer/director trying to say? Things get deep and things get angry as we talk through what is undoubtably the filmmaker's most polarizing film to date.

Special guest host Nick Sanford takes a moment to give us the inside scoop on his next project The Harvesters. The film is scheduled to shoot in Oklahoma and is raising its funds through a kickstarter that goes live January 18. Make sure to check out the official The Harvesters Facebook Page to learn more!

Spoiler Free Review - 3:56

*Spoilers* - 42:04

Recommendations - 70:21

We wish you a very merry Back to the Movies Christmas by talking about Disney's most anticipated gift of all time. That's right, we're jumping to hyperdrive to review Star Wars: The Force Awakens. In this special edition of Back to the Movies, we'll be jumping straight into spoilers from the very get go. Don't want to know more about Kylo Ren or BB-8? You've been warned.

Such a special movie review demands special guests, and this time we have three of them. Caleb is joined by the rest of The GoodTrash Media gang including Alexandra Bohannon, Dalton Stuart, and first timer Dustin Sells. We break things down by talking what we liked and what didn't like and much to listener suprise, we're not exactly in agreement. 

Tune in and join the conversation after giving it us a listen! What was your favorite part of The Force Awakens? Who did you like the best? Was this really just a giant piece of fan service? We want to know!

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter @BacktoMovies

Please rate and subscribe on iTunes

Star Wars is upon us and there shall be a glorious bonus episode dedicated to The Force Awakens, but first we've got to talk about THAT other movie hitting theaters this weekend, Sisters. 

Sisters follows the latest pairing of SNL alum superstars Tina Fey and Amy Poehler as they fight to recapture the nostalgia of living in their childhood home one last time before their parents sell it off. It's just the non-blockbuster comedy non-galactic fans will be looking for, but does it live up to its SNL infused pedigree? Arthur and I discuss our history with Saturday Night Live spinoffs before delivering a final verdict.

If the Sisters isn't up you're alley, we've still got plenty plenty to discuss including our thoughts on The Golden Globe nominations and the latest rounds of 2016 trailers. It was a big week with nearly every major franchise bringing their A-game to precede The Force Awakens. We give our quick thoughts on X-Men: Apocalpyse, Star Trek: Beyond, and Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them along with many others. 

Golden Globe Nominations - 2:02

Trailer Talk Time - 23:03

Sisters Review -39:32

Please rate and subscribe on iTunes

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter @BacktoMovies

In this week's Back to the Movies we're joined by guest host Dalton Stuart from the GoodTrash Genrecast to review the Rocky spin-off Creed written/directed by Ryan Coogler and starring Michael B. Jordan. 

After being away for nearly 10 years since the 2006 nostalia pic Rocky Balboa, Ryan Coogler is making an attempt to retell the Rocky story for a new generation by unveiling the rise of Apollo Creed's illegitimate son Adonis as he enters into the world of boxing. After leaving home to pursue his passion to fight, Creed turns to the Italian Stallion Rocky Balboa to train him up to be a true pro fighter. 

We bypass this week's news to dedicate our entire episode to talking about our history with the Rocky franchise as well as our rocky expectations going into the movie. We discuss the use of race in the film, the formula of the sports inspirational film genre, and whether or not Creed succeeds in renewing the nearly 30 year old franchise. 

Does Creed give Rocky a run for his money? Tune in!

Review - 2:24

*Spoilers Begin - 36:51*

Follow Dalton on Twitter @Doll_Stew

Please rate and subscribe on iTunes

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter @BacktoMovies