In a CWSBF first, Nate and Ryan talk about their favorite ten movies of the last decade. On top of the list of movies, listen in as Nate and Ryan reflect on the last ten years in movies and make new-decade resolutions for the next ten years of movie watching. Settle in for a wide-ranging discussion of the last ten years and stick around for some input from listeners like you!

Let us know your top ten (or so) of the last decade! What did we get right? What did we miss?

Nate’s list on Letterboxd

Ryan’s list on Letterboxd

This month, Nate and Ryan celebrate T. Hanksgiving by re-watching Cast Away. In what may be a new tradition, this November Nate and Ryan give thanks for Tom Hanks by discussing his performance as Chuck Noland in Robert Zemeckis’ 2000 film about a man lost on a deserted island with nothing but a makeshift loincloth and a volleyball that apparently shows some sass. Listen in as Nate and Ryan discuss what it is about Tom Hanks that makes him so likable, where his career is headed, and whether Cast Away is a good movie to throw on this upcoming holiday season.

Where does Cast Away rank among Tom Hanks performances? Where does Wilson rank among Tom Hanks’ costars? What was in that FedEx package? Let us know!

Listen to our archives!

Read this New York Times profile to find out that Tom Hanks is exactly as nice as you’d hope.

Nate and Ryan re-watch Tim Burton’s 1994 homage to the world’s worst director, Ed Wood, to celebrate the 6th annual Holiday Spooktacular! Tim Burton and Johnny Depp teamed up to bring the life and work of Ed Wood to new audiences, and in the process, offered a celebration of underdogs and outsiders and earned Martin Landau an Oscar for best-supporting actor. 1994 saw Burton and Depp still establishing their identities in Hollywood. In the 25 years since its release, Burton has found a wheelhouse in family movies that offer a “dark-lite” version of his early edginess, while Johnny Depp seems to be happy being Johnny Depp in recent roles.

What are your thoughts on Ed Wood? When were Johnny Depp and/or Tim Burton at their best? Do you believe that movies can be so bad they’re good? Let us know!

Enjoy a Holiday Spooktacular Marathon and listen to all our past October episodes!

Visit our archives to listen to old episodes

Nate and Ryan watch Roger & Me (1989), Michael Moore’s groundbreaking documentary about the rapid decline of Flint, MI after the shuttering of several GM plants. 30 years later, the plight of Flint and the struggles of the United Auto Workers continue to be in the news. Listen in as Nate and Ryan discuss the relevance and reliability of Michael Moore, a man who, depending on your point of view, is always one necessary step ahead of the zeitgeist, or is an irritating, irresponsible blowhard.

What are your thoughts on Michael Moore? Does Roger & Me deserve to be listed among the best documentaries of all time? Has Michael Moore ruined or saved (it can only be one or the other!) documentary film? Let us know!

Nate and Ryan are back from a brief break to discuss Spike Lee’s masterpiece Do the Right Thing. In celebration of the film’s 30th anniversary, Nate and Ryan are doing an appreciation episode to give a much deserved re-watch to a movie that has proven to be more timely and prescient with each passing year. Listen as they discuss what they think makes the movie work so well and how the movie has impacted the way they see the world.

A word of caution: this episode contains clips from the movie that contain racial slurs. If such content typically is a trigger for you, you may want to skip over any clips we use.

Share your thoughts on Spike Lee: genius? provocateur? both? Does Do the Right Thing belong in the conversation of all-time great films ever? Let us know!

Read Wesley Morris’ terrific analysis in the New York Times of what makes Do the Right Thing stand out from other Hollywood movies about race.

Listen to past episodes.

Nate and Ryan discuss Bob Fosse’s 1979 semi-autobiographical fever dream, All That Jazz. Listen in as they plumb the depths of their knowledge of dance, compare Bob Fosse with Kanye West, and try to figure out what’s going on in those damn hospital scenes.

What are your thoughts on All That Jazz? Is this Roy Scheider’s best role? How are your jazz hands? Let us know!

Also, do yourself a favor and check out Matt Zoller Seitz’s fantastic deep dive into “Fosse Time”

Nate and Ryan put on their Sketchers and Prada backpacks and roam the halls of Padua High School as they rewatch 10 Things I Hate About You, the ’90s teen rom-com to end all ’90s teen rom-coms.  Join in as they reminisce on nights at Blockbuster video, gush over the eternally charming coolness of Heath Ledger, and ruminate on how that poem scene works 20 years later.

What are your memories of 10 Things I Hate About You? Heath Ledger: the coolest person of the decade or the coolest person of all time? How does Julia Styles rank among teen rom-com leading women? Will more adaptations like this make teens love Shakespeare? Let us know!

Here are a couple articles that we discuss in the episode:

“10 Things I Hate About You”: When Heath Ledger Was Just Breaking Through by Ilana Kaplan, New York Times.

20 Years Later, 10 Things I Hate About You remains a model for how to do the teen rom-com right by Caroline Siede, The AV Club.

Nate and Ryan kick-off the summer blockbuster season with Guillermo Del Toro’s 2004 adaptation of Hellboy. While the moody, lovelorn Hellboy might not exactly fit into today’s world of gigantic comics cinematic universes, Nate and Ryan talk about where Hellboy fits in the landscape of Del Toro’s monstrous heroes and how it holds up after 15 years.

How does Hellboy hold up for you? Does it rank among Del Toro’s best? Is it possible to make a Hellboy movie without Ron Perlman? Let us know!

Watch kaptainkristian’s video essay mentioned in this episode about how Guillermo Del Toro creates perfect monsters.

Nate and Ryan return to the ’90s to re-watch Good Will Hunting, the movie that made Matt and Ben household names. The charm of director Gus Van Sant’s biggest commercial hit never really stuck with Nate and Ryan, so they’re giving it another go. Listen in as they find out whether they were missing something, or if they can finally realize that it’s not their fault.

What are you thoughts on Good Will Hunting? Where does this rank among Robin Williams’ all-time performances? Do you like apples? Let us know!

Watch Lessons from the Screenplay’s Good Will Hunting – The Psychology of Character.

Nate and Ryan invite back special guest Evan Mather to talk about Alfonso Cuaron’s 2006 Children of Men.  Though not especially successful on its release, Children of Men has received new attention as critics and fans can’t help but notice that Cuaron seemed to know exactly what issues the world would be facing over the next 20 years (with the exception of total infertility).  Nate, Ryan, and Evan discuss what, if anything, Children of Men suggests we do to survive the coming bleakness.  Maybe we just won’t think about it.

Tell us about your experience with Children of Men. Alfonso Cuaron: Great director, or the greatest director? Let us know!

Watch the Children of Men DVD extra The Possibility of Hope. Credits: In this episode the quote pulled from the documentary features Slavoj Zizek and James Lovelock.