Matinee Heroes

NIGHT SHIFT

Chuck has quit his stressful stockbroker life and now works the night shift at a New York City morgue because he wants something easy and quiet. His new co-worker, Bill, is a nonstop hustler who spots an “opportunity” when Chuck’s neighbor Belinda needs a safe place to see clients. Bill convinces Chuck to turn the morgue into an after-hours brothel, and the two of them start running the operation as her pimps.

Craig, Elisabeth and guest Mark Woodring from the Visually Stunning Movie Podcast talk about Only Fans, 2025’s Movies, more egg nog and the movie “Night Shift” on this week’s Matinee Heroes!

Show Notes

0:55

Craig, Elisabeth and guest Mark Woodring from the Visually Stunning Movie Podcast talk about the films of 2025.

12:51

Craig, Elisabeth and Mark discuss "Night Shift"

38:51

Recasting

55:19

Double Feature

58:10

Final Thoughts

1:02:28

A preview of next week's episode "Captain America: The First Avenger".

The way the world's been lately, we feel we must make another public stand. So we're bringing back F#$K Nazis month, starting with "Captain America: The First Avenger".

UNCLE BUCK

When Cindy and her husband, Bob, have to leave town for a family emergency, there is only one person available to watch their three kids: Bob’s lazy, carefree brother, Buck. He hits it off right away with the two younger children, but if he wants to be a responsible caregiver, he’ll have to overhaul his bachelor routine to handle the household’s most challenging assignment: his angst-filled teenage niece Tia… who is not impressed.

Craig, Elisabeth and guest Jenn Rohm talk about favorite uncles, felony assault, film festivals and the movie “Uncle Buck” on this week’s Matinee Heroes!

Show Notes

1:10

Craig, Elisabeth and guest Jenn Rohm from Selig Film News talk about film festivals.

11:45

Craig, Elisabeth and Jenn discuss "Uncle Buck"

51:32

Recasting

1:11:33

Double Feature

1:16:41

Final Thoughts

1:22:45

A preview of next week's episode "Night Shift"

We end 2025 on a fun note with a hidden gem "Night Shift".

TOOTSIE

New York actor Michael Dorsey is a talented perfectionist who is so hard on himself and others that his agent can no longer find work for him. After a soap opera audition goes poorly, Michael reinvents himself as actress Dorothy Michaels and lands the role. What begins as a short-term gig becomes a long contract, and when Michael falls for his castmate Julie, the secret threatens to unravel everything.

Craig, Elisabeth and guest Brendan Agnew talk about destroying trust, the one Avatar Fan, gender dynamics and the movie “Tootsie” on this week’s Matinee Heroes!

Show Notes

1:14

Craig, Elisabeth and guest Brendan Agnew talk holidays and Avatar.

5:21

Craig, Elisabeth and Brendan discuss "Tootsie"

46:30

Recasting

1:09:47

Double Feature

1:16:09

Final Thoughts

1:21:56

A preview of next week's episode "Uncle Buck"

We dive into the heart of the 80's with a John Candy classic: Uncle Buck

CAPTAIN RON

Mild-mannered family man Martin Harvey expects a simple Caribbean trip when he inherits an old yacht and heads south to claim it. After he and his family reach a tiny island and see the boat is barely seaworthy, they reluctantly hire carefree Captain Ron to sail it to Miami. Their straightforward trip quickly becomes a chaotic adventure as Ron’s anything-goes style drives the Harveys from one mishap to the next.

Craig, Elisabeth and guest Annie Bulloch talk about Caribbean guerillas, egg nog, sexy mullets and the movie “Captain Ron” on this week’s Matinee Heroes!

Show Notes

1:08

Craig, Elisabeth and guest Annie Bulloch talk holiday movies and egg nog.

11:55

Craig, Elisabeth and Annie discuss "Captain Ron"

50:55

Recasting

1:09:27

Double Feature

1:15:12

Final Thoughts

1:19:53

A preview of next week's episode "Tootsie"

We get a bit gender bendery next episode with the classic comedy "Tootsie"

Recorded live at FanX Salt Lake in April 2019, this Conversation with Craig is a full panel with comedy legend John Cleese, as Craig finally gets his game time call to step onstage with one of his heroes. From John's North American convention debut and Craig's nerves backstage to dry British chaos in front of a packed room, it is equal parts origin story, masterclass in comedy, and gleeful mischief.

How a would be lawyer with a Cambridge law degree accidentally fell into show business through a student revue that suddenly transferred to London and ran for months.

Cleese breaks down why you should always write comedy about what you know, how Fawlty Towers grew out of that idea, and how he approached those classic management training videos without ever having lived in a cubicle.

Candid, rapid fire audience Q and A on Monty Python collaborators, silly walks, roles he regrets turning down, aging, politics, and why he happily pokes fun at everyone, including himself.

"Actually, it's quite nice being old, because you just don't give a fuck, you know?"

- John Cleese

Want more exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes stories from the people who bring your favorite characters to life? Subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on your favorite podcasting platform for more behind-the-scenes stories and exclusive interviews.

GONE WITH THE WIND

A sheltered, scheming Southern belle clashes with a roguish profiteer in a turbulent romance as their world collapses with the end of slavery and is painfully reshaped through the Civil War and Reconstruction.

Craig, Elisabeth and guest Tami Anderson discuss romanticizing the South, surviving war, milksops and the movie “Gone with the Wind” on this week’s Matinee Heroes!!

Show Notes

1:03

Craig, Elisabeth and guest Tami Anderson talk about producing theater and films.

6:03

Craig, Elisabeth and Tami discuss "Gone with the Wind"

1:10:49

Recasting

1:38:40

Double Feature

1:44:27

Final Thoughts

1:50:02

A preview of next week's episode "Captain Ron"

2025 was kind of a rough year so we're ending on a fun note with some of our favorite comedies. We start with one of Elizabeth's favorites "Captain Ron"

THE DEER HUNTER

Michael, Nick and Steven are lifelong friends who work in the mill, hang out at the local bar, and bond on regular deer hunts in the mountains. Before they ship out to Vietnam, they celebrate Steven’s wedding and take one last trip together, completely unaware of how the war will destroy their innocence. In Vietnam, they are thrown into brutal combat and captivity that leaves them physically and emotionally scarred, and for the survivors, it becomes almost impossible to ever truly find their way back home.

Craig, Elisabeth and guest Blake Casselman talk about post-Vietnam attitudes, trauma bonding, the streaming premiere of “Limbo” and the movie “The Deer hunter” on this week’s Matinee Heroes!

Show Notes

1:22

Craig, Elisabeth and guest Blake Casselman talk about the streaming debut of his film "Limbo" now playing at Reveel.net

13:37

Craig, Elisabeth and Blake discuss "The Deer Hunter"

58:09

Recasting

1:27:01

Double Feature

1:30:44

Final Thoughts

1:40:13

A preview of next week's episode "Gone with the Wind"

Our next no-ender you may not give a damn about but it's "Gone with the Wind"

BEN-HUR

An aristocratic Jew living in Judaea incurs the wrath of a childhood friend, now a Roman tribune. Forced into slavery on a galley and made to witness the brutal persecution of his family, he survives, silently nurturing a relentless dream of vengeance.

Craig, Elisabeth and guest Derek McCaw talk about historical fiction, intermissions, inner fat kids and the movie “Ben Hur” on this week’s Matinee Heroes!

Show Notes

1:04

Craig, Elisabeth and Derek McCaw talk about their inner and outer fat kids.

10:04

Craig, Elisabeth and Derek discuss "Ben-Hur"

47:30

Recasting

1:10:09

Double Feature

1:13:09

Final Thoughts

1:20:09

A preview of next week's episode "The Deer Hunter"

Our next no-ender is the post-Vietnam drama "The Deer Hunter"

TITANIC

A young aristocratic woman named Rose, suffocating in a rigid engagement, falls for free-spirited third-class passenger Jack Dawson aboard the unsinkable ocean liner - Titanic. Their secret romance defies class and her possessive fiancé as the ship sails toward disaster. When it hits an iceberg, their struggle to survive reveals love, sacrifice, and the brutal divide between those rescued and those left behind.

Craig, Elisabeth and guest Ryley Brown talk about touchstone cinema, historical fiction, PCP chowder and the movie “Titanic” on this week’s Matinee Heroes.

Show Notes

1:20

Craig, Elisabeth and Ryley Brown talk about boats.

7:37

Craig, Elisabeth and Ryley discuss "Titanic"

1:08:03

Recasting

1:44:36

Double Feature

1:47:42

Final Thoughts

1:56:31

A preview of next week's episode "Ben-Hur"

Our next no-ender is the biblical fiction "Ben-Hur"

Enrico Colantoni brought warmth, candor, and craft to the stage at FanX Salt Lake in September 2025, moving from first-time motion capture on Indiana Jones and the Great Circle to lived-in stories from Veronica Mars, Flashpoint, and Person of Interest, blending practical acting insights with dry wit, a steady respect for the work, and genuine connection with the audience.

Enrico recounts his first stab at motion capture on Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, cracking up about the clingy gray suit and the pure imagination it takes to act to a green void.

The infamous Veronica Mars black eye turns out to be a street-hockey souvenir, and the father–daughter magic with Kristen Bell comes from leading with heart instead of tricks.

Whether commanding in Flashpoint or charmingly dangerous in Person of Interest, he builds every role by finding the human first, even when the character would rather hide it.

“It’s my heart with different language. My heart in a different costume” - Enrico Colantoni

Want more exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes stories from the people who bring your favorite characters to life? Subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on your favorite podcasting platform for more behind-the-scenes stories and exclusive interviews.