From Under The Rock

With the heavily coveted Academy Awards just around the corner, we begin a short stretch of Oscars coverage with a look into a film from the unsurprisingly beautiful and enigmatic world of French film: Anatomy of a Fall. This film quickly went from "this is what we landed on tonight," to "I'm pretty sure this should actually maybe win best picture, Cillian Murphy's cheekbones be damned," so the moral of the story is you should definitely listen to this episode but also almost definitely actually watch the film as well. Come with us as we enjoy the most successful continuous tension build that has been seen on screen in a long damn time and emerge from it with a glorious collection of zero answers. Onward!

It's Alive!!! For our lucky number 13 episode we're bringing you Mary Shelley's Frankenstein from 1994, written and directed by Kenneth Branagh, who also stars as the titular doctor. Accompanied by Helena Bonham Carter and Robert De Niro, Branagh leads us through this dark and twisted tale of grief, horror, and the perils of letting obsession lure you beyond the realms of what can - or should - be done.

This week, from our subterranean hermitage, we're bringing you 1996's The Birdcage, starring Robin Williams and Nathan Lane. In a film that dances along the line between hilarious and heartbreaking, we watch Williams and Lane play off of one another seamlessly as a gay couple grappling with the idea that their young son is not only getting married, but is also intent on hiding the truth of their identities from the very conservative parents of his intended. Join us as we confront the question: Would you hide who you are to try to help out someone you love?

Not to be confused with the conspicuously unavailable to stream acclaimed 2016 show from HBO, this week, dear friends, Sawyer and Ben cover 1973's Westworld! The original on screen adaptation of Michael Crichton's sci-fi dystopia in which high-paying patrons are able to play out their ultimate Western fantasies as guests at a futuristic theme park filled with incredibly life-like automatons. Surely none of the humans will abuse this power and none of the robots will malfunction!

With the Super Bowl just over a week away, we bring you our first sports movie, Remember The Titans. Based on the true story of the 1971 T.C. Williams high school football team - the first school and team in Virginia to be forced to integrate in the aftermath of the Civil Rights Movement, it's a heartfelt story of coming together to defeat the odds and defeat racism all at once. If you haven't seen this essential piece in the puzzle of How America Completely Eliminated Racism Forever, this episode is a must listen. It being our longest episode yet, just makes it even better! Bonus content! Or something...

Man, we really gotta send Ben to some sort of hosting class or something to get him to tighten these up

As an equal opportunity podcast, when we indulge one host we will of course indulge the other. For this week's ~slightly~ longer than usual episode, we dive into Kubo And The Two Strings, an animated film that you might not have heard of, but if you didn't you really do need to go and see. Charlize Theron, Matthew McConaughey, Ralph Fiennes, and many others star in this tale of family, storytelling, and holding onto hope no matter the odds in front of you. A host favorite for sure, do not let yourself be one of our MANY listeners who misses this one.

From an ancient crusade, straight on into a crusade for modern times, this week we cover 2022's "The Menu," our most recent film yet! Starring Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Fiennes, and Nicholas Hoult, this film will have you coming for the darkest timeline Food Network vibes and staying for the unhinged proletariat wish fulfillment. Join us as Ben rambles on and on about this movie for a good bit longer than usual! I think he likes this movie too much guys. Is it bonus content, or is it gratuitous and an inability to edit oneself? YOU DECIDE. (Patreon subscribers don't at us)

And now for something completely different! In a more serious turn, this week Sawyer and Ben cover Ridley Scott's sprawling 2005 epic, "Kingdom of Heaven," starring Orlando Bloom, Eva Green, and Edward Norton among others in a cast stacked with household names. In a story of faith, redemption, and varied complications of family, listen in as we discuss Balian of Ibelin's unexpected efforts to "save" the holy land.

This week, Ben and Sawyer dive into IMDB's sixth-ranked con artist movie of all time! (That's how you know it's legit). It's Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988) featuring the enormous, dueling talents of Michael Caine and Steve Martin. Join us as we unpack this delightful winding tale of deception, one-upsmanship, and defying expectations. You might be saying, "Two movies about pathological liars back to back, guys? Really??" It's probably a coincidence that has nothing to do with your two charismatic and very reliable hosts! :D