This week, Chain Link Theater(celebrating our TENTH episode!) journeys back to medieval England—very loosely—to follow John Cleese into our oldest movie yet! Join us in 1975 with Monty Python and the Holy Grail, where low budgets, high absurdity, and anarchic comedy rewrote the rules of parody forever.

We’ll trace Cleese’s many faces and dig into how this film became both a cult phenomenon and a permanent fixture of pop culture shorthand.

Sharpen your swords and mind the shrubbery—Chain Link Theater rides forth with Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

This week, Chain Link Theater follows the trail from the San Francisco convent to the high-stakes desert of Nevada. We’re tracking Kathy Najimy as she sheds the habit and joins an ensemble of eccentrics in Jerry Zucker’s chaotic pursuit of gold: Rat Race.

We'll explore Najimy’s transition from singing sister Mary Patrick to the loving mother Beverly Pear, and break down whether this 2001 treasure hunt still crosses the finish line.

Pack your bags—Chain Link Theater is hitting the road with Rat Race.

This week on Chain Link Theater, we follow the chain from the bloody warehouse floor and color-coded nicknames straight into the Reno lounge scene and the holiest hideout in San Francisco. We’re tracking Harvey Keitel, an actor who usually solves problems with a gun, as he chases Whoopi Goldberg right into the habits of Emile Ardolino’s musical juggernaut, Sister Act.

We talk about the whiplash of seeing Keitel apply his signature intensity to a Disney comedy villain, and we discuss how his specific brand of menace fits into a world of singing nuns and slapstick humor.

Then we crack open Sister Act itself: the box office smash, the cultural nostalgia, and the bizarre collision of mob violence and gospel music. We break down the structure of the script, the mechanics of the musical numbers, and the "fish out of water" formula to see how this 90s staple holds up today.

Put on your habit and get ready for choir practice—because this week, Chain Link Theater is going undercover in the convent to find out if this movie still hits the high notes.

This week on Chain Link Theater, we follow the chain from awkward side characters and scene-stealing weirdos straight into a warehouse full of black suits, thin ties, and very bad decisions. We’re tracking Steve Buscemi, an actor who built an entire career out of feeling slightly off, as he barrels headfirst into Quentin Tarantino’s debut pressure cooker, Reservoir Dogs.

We talk about how Buscemi carved out a lane no one else could occupy, and how he became one of the most recognizable faces of ’90s independent cinema without ever trying to be cool.

Then we crack open Reservoir Dogs itself: the low-budget miracle, the Sundance walkouts, and the movie that announced a new voice in American filmmaking with profanity, pop music, and blood-soaked confidence. We break down the film’s structure, its razor-sharp dialogue, the ensemble chemistry, and why a movie with no heist, no heroes, and no mercy still rewired crime movies overnight.

Put on your black suit, don’t ask about the diamonds, and maybe stop arguing about tipping—because this week, Chain Link Theater is bleeding out in a warehouse and loving every second of it.

This week on Chain Link Theater, we follow the chain away from the triple-dog-dares of Indiana and into the absurdist, dodgeball-fueled halls of 1995’s Billy Madison. We’re tracking the "Old Man" himself, Darren McGavin, as he trades his flickering leg lamp and "fra-gee-lay" crates for finding an heir to his corporate empire of Madison Hotels.

We dive into how McGavin brings his signature "grumpy but gold-hearted" patriarch energy to the mid-90s, acting as the perfect foil to Adam Sandler’s chaotic, shampoo-obsessed man-child. We talk about the sheer whiplash of moving from 1940s nostalgia to a world of giant imaginary penguins, O’Doyle family dominance, and the most high-stakes academic decathlon in cinematic history.

Pack your Lunchables, watch out for the flaming bags of poop, and hold on to your butts—it’s time to go back to school with Chain Link Theater!

This week on Chain Link Theater, we follow the chain into mid-century winter misery with A Christmas Story—the holiday movie that turned childhood longing, parental exhaustion, and mild seasonal trauma into an annual endurance test on cable television.

We talk about why this movie refuses to age, how it perfectly captures the stakes of being a kid when one gift feels like it might determine your entire future, and why the humor lands harder the more life you’ve lived. From BB guns and frozen tongues to the quiet tragedy of the bunny suit, we dig into how the film balances nostalgia, cruelty, and warmth without ever tipping too far into sentimentality.

We also follow the chain to Peter Billingsley, whose face became inseparable from Christmas itself, even as his career quietly took a much stranger and more successful path behind the scenes. Along the way, we talk dads, disappointment, and why this movie feels less like a comedy and more like a memory you didn’t realize you kept replaying.

Pour yourself some Ovaltine, don’t lick the pole, and hold on to your butts—it’s a special Christmas episode of Chain Link Theater!

This week on Chain Link Theater, we follow the chain straight into the holiday chaos with Elf—the Christmas classic that somehow balances childlike wonder, corporate misery, and maple syrup-based food violence.

We talk about why Elf works when so many holiday comedies don’t, how Will Ferrell walks the tightrope between annoying and iconic, and why the movie’s sincerity is doing way more heavy lifting than people give it credit for. We also spend some time on Mary Steenburgen’s quietly perfect performance, the magic of practical sets and simple jokes, and the strange comfort of a movie that knows exactly what it is.

Turn up your cell phones, provide your own candy spaghetti, and hold on to your butts! It's Christmas time.

Follow the chain with us this week to Keanu Reeves and straight into Parenthood, the warm-hearted, slightly unhinged family dramedy that reminds us every household is one bad talent show away from total collapse.

We break down blindsiding rollercoaster metaphors, Dianne Wiest acting circles around the entire cast, and how much Nathan just sucks.

Turn up your cell phones, provide your own snacks, and hold on to your butts. It's time for Parenthood.

Follow the chain with us this week to Fred Ward and straight into ’90s thriller Chain Reaction, a movie that dares to ask: What if free energy existed, and also—what if Brian Cox knew how to run?

We break down Keanu Reeves in full “post-Speed, pre-Matrix” mode, Rachel Weisz carrying the emotional weight of the entire plot, and Fred Ward doing what he does best: looking like the only adult in the room while everything explodes. We talk about government conspiracies with zero chill, fanboating for your life, and Morgan Freeman being mysteriously ominous in every single scene.

Turn up your cell phones, provide your own snacks, and hold on to your butts. It's time for Chain Reaction.

In our very first outing of Chain Link Theater, we dive boots-first into the dusty chaos of Tremors, the cult-classic creature feature that proved you don’t need a big budget to make a big monster movie. We talk life in Perfection, how Kevin Bacon felt about taking this role, and how a low-expectations B-movie accidentally became one of the most beloved films of the ’90s.

We break down the practical effects that still look suspiciously great, the joy of watching competent characters problem-solve, and the moment everyone realizes these worms are way smarter than they should be.

Turn up your cell phones, provide your own snacks, and hold on to your butts. It's gonna be a very long, very bumpy cinematic road.