Continuing on their mind bender, Andrew and Dave are off to Mars with the 1990 Paul ver Hoeven and Arnold Schwarzenegger picture, Total Recall. They talk about the film as a last bastion of (almost) pure practicals, with heaps of praise lauded on the character effects team. Dave tells us about the vast network of tunnels connecting the soundstages, and goes big on the film’s use of miniatures. Andrew, meanwhile, keeps banging out pitch perfect Arnie impressions. The guys philosophize on the things that define our reality and whether or not they think Quaid and/or Howser is dreaming. 

Jeff Goldblum may want you to forget about the fat lady, but we say she’s unforgettable. Check her out this week on Hell of a Picture.

Get ready for a soft turn as the boys ease out of 90’s summer blockbusters and into reality-benders with the blockbusting, reality bending, 90’s classic The Matrix. The guys discuss the ways in which the movie has evolved since its release, with Andrew talking about how the film’s comments on identity have expanded, and Dave lamenting the misappropriation of its ideas and imagery. They opine on what is real and if it matters; what Friedrich Nietzsche would say about it all; which pill they would choose, and if they sympathize with Cypher. 

You think our being stronger or faster in here has anything to do with our muscles? You think that’s a podcast you’re listening to? Huh. 

Hold on to your cows and let go of your damn doors ‘cause it’s Twister time, baby! That’s right, with Twisters hitting theatres, Andrew and Dave figured there was no better time to talk Twister, the 1996 Jan de Bont disaster flick (as if there’s any other kind of Jan de Bont flick). The guys open with some clarifying thoughts on last week’s decision regarding the Rock, admitting to some misgivings but standing by their call. Andrew tells the tale of a near brush with his G.O.A.T and who he blames for the missed opportunity. Dave, meanwhile, can’t get over the taboo surrounding the F5 and wonders why Jo’s dad didn’t just let go. The guys also take time to salute two Seinfeld alum and struggle to pronounce one of their names. Hint, it’s not Jami Gertz, the world’s richest actor. 

Gas up your Dodge Caravan and grab those divorce papers, we’re gonna chase some storms and promptly run away from them this week on Hell of a Picture. 

The boys are back in town! Well, one of them is. The other one actually lives in the town in question, and the one who doesn’t is home for a holiday and - forget it. It doesn’t matter. Andrew and Dave are in the same room this week and they’re talking about The Rock. That’s right. Rock talk! 

Andrew drops a bomb on us about who was initially slated to play the role of Stanley Goodspeed, Chemical Weapons Superfreak. Dave marvels at the tensile strength of hotel shower rope and teaches us the key to a Sean Connery impression (it’s all in the molars). The guys crackwise about the ineptitude of mercenary and agent alike, and reaffirm the show’s love for the journeyman actor. 

GLASS OR PLASTIC? GLASS OR PLASTIC? Find out this week on Hell of a Picture. 

The boys of summer are back and so are their movies. This week, Hell of a Picture kicks off a series of 90’s summer blockbusters, and we’re busting the block wide open with the 1996 mega-hit, Independence Day. The guys reminisce on the VHS days of yore and don’t even try to hide their sentimental relationship with the movie. We are treated yet again to a dose of the craft as both Andrew and Dave give us a few choice impressions from the deeply imitable cast of characters. They find plenty of nits to pick in the narrative and the dialogue, and even more to love in how the two are populated and delivered by an adorable cast. 

Andrew asks the question, “what qualifies success in cinema?”, while Dave talks about expectation and intent in film, and why this movie succeeds in meeting both. Is there room in the hall of HOAP for this armada-sized blockbuster? Tune in and find out.

This week Andrew and Dave conclude their three act examination of Greta Gerwig with the 2017 film Lady Bird. The guys lavish praise on our lead character played by the extraordinary (and finally pronounceable) Saoirse Ronan. They laud her performance as a refreshing contrast to the usual archetypes of teen movies and place the film’s depiction of adolescence among the all time greats. Andrew looks at the movie as a love story in two layers, while Dave frets over the thought that he may be a “Kyle”. 

The boys talk about the way the film talks about the way we all talk to each other (wait, what?), and wonder if Lady Bird as well as Little Women offer us a dose of absolution for some of our indulgences. Lady Bird may have come up short at the Oscars, but will it come away with a greater honour, the HOAP? Tune in and find out this week on Hell of a Picture. 

After the sensory overload that was Barbie, the boys take a sharp turn on the Gerwig superhighway with the comparatively muted, Little Women. Dave laments his reticence to watch this type of movie and finds an odd joy in a period piece that isn’t entirely British, while Andrew gives masterclasses in both Meryl Streep impersonation and the pronunciation of Saoirse (Sur-shuh). 

The boys talk about marriage as an economic proposition, the tragedy of female artists, and wonder if they have to watch all the adaptations of Little Women to properly judge this one. Can Gerwig keep the streak alive? Will the movie live up to the novel? And just how little are these women, really? Tune in to find out on Hell of a Picture.

This week Andrew and Dave round out the Nolan trio with the 2023 film Oppenheimer. Andrew tells us about the lengths Nolan went to in shaping the technical mould of the film and, in doing so, reveals that Kodak still exists. Dave wishes that Oppenheimer had listened to his wife, Kitty, and told people to piss off (like Tiger should have) while lamenting what could-have-been with the performance of the great Emily Blunt. The guys wrestle with the ethics of creating and dropping the bomb, and struggle to keep the names of scientists, actors, and directors of photography all straight and correctly pronounced.

This week, after the claustrophobic grit of Following, Andrew and Dave find themselves in a whole different dimensional bookshelf with Interstellar. Dave opens talking about how his experience with the movie has changed since he last saw it based on shifting cultural tides, while Andrew speaks candidly and shares a moving personal story about why, for him, Interstellar will never change. The guys talk about the film’s commitment to scientific authenticity and its equally admirable resolve where the use of practical effects are concerned. 

They’re each over the moon with the performances, discussing Michael Caine as a wrestling villain, Mattew McConaughey as a great explorer and a not-as-great dad; Jessica Chastain as the hero, and Matt Damon as Gollum. Dave finds new meaning in a Dylan Thomas poem, but – sadly - no one named Cobb; and Andrew marvels at the power of love to transcend time, space, dimension, and death. Will Interstellar crack the formula for what makes a hell of a picture? Or will rage not be enough to counter the dying light? Tune in and find out.