Objectively Intelligent

With Groundhog Day just a few days away, it's time to get your booties on, get out in the cold, and relive Groundhog Day over and over and over and over. Zach and Germ discuss the classic Bill Murray comedy and how it connects to various philosophies and spiritual thought. In addition, math is involved (apologies), as the duo discuss just how many Groundhog Days it's belived Phil Connors experienced before finally moving on to February 3rd. Zach also drops some writing-related lessons taken from the film.

Groundhog Day, at its core, is a movie about life and the importance of the choices we make. It's also very funny. Which always helps.

It's time to party--again--like it's 1999, with a look back at The Mummy and the franchise it spawned. While spending some time on the movie itself, the coversation turns to a love fest for Brendan Fraser and his underrated list of films, his range in Bedazzled, and his powerful performance in The Whale, which deservedly earned him an Oscar in 2023.

Also, Zach rails on Tom Cruise, leading to a debate on the merits of the Mission Impossible and Fast and the Furious films.

Zach and Germ head back to 1997 to discuss the sci-fi cult classic, The Fifth Element. Chris Tucker's performace as Ruby Rhod steals a good portion of the opening, but the duo work through the amazing cast, disagree on the idea of a remake (and the remake of Aladdin), and reference another dozen or so movies (and a moon landing) along the way.

The Fifth Element was a fantastic film. This episode is up for debate.

Following up on their recent episode on Gladiator, Zach and Germ discuss Gladiator II and offer their takes on the film. In addition they cover the flawed marketing campaign, Denzel has Germ saying "My man!" a dozen times or so, the battle of the soundtracks, the near disaster of a potential sequel, and a breakdown of the film's historical inacuracies leads to a conversation on the "dream of Rome," Roman history, and (spoiler alert!) the fall of the Roman Empire.

Also, it appears Target's aisle 31 of dvd's disappeared overnight and Germ is convinced there's a conspiracy afoot. You know, in that "parallel worlds overlapping" kind of way.

While you enjoy the marathon of A Christmas Story this Christmas Eve, Germ and Zach discuss the classic tale of Ralphie, his quest for a Red Ryder Carbine Action BB gun, and his overactive imagination (lookin' at you, Bad Bart). As always, there are detours, including stories of bb guns, hunting carpenter bees and Star Wars figures, and how HBO gave an entire generation of boys an easier way to see nudity. And Fraggles.

When on topic, the duo also chat about Peter Billingsley's iconic role and where his career went from there, how the film inspired the creation of The Wonder Years, and Darren McGavin's made-up gibberish of swearing rants.

Enjoy revisiting Cleveland Street with Germ and Zach, then go watch a Christmas Story! Merry Christmas all!

With Christmas only days away, Germ and Zach dial back the clock to discuss the classic holiday, Miracle on 34th Street. Beginning with the questionable marketing choice to hide that it was a Christmas film, the chatty movie lovers discuss young Natalie Wood's belief in Edmund Gwenn's portrayal of Kris Kringle, throw a shout out to the postal service for always being true to themselves in life and on screen, and dive into the theme of commercialism inherent in the story and how it compares to the modern corporate approach to customer service.

As the month of Christmas Faves continues, the cotton-headed ninny muggins duo of Germ and Zach take on the Will Ferrell classic, Elf. The discussion ranges from Jon Favreau's influence on the Rankin-Bass look and feel of the film, a lesson in forced perspective, the cameo role for a Christmas icon as Ming Ming the Elf, Zach's memorable encounter with Amy Sedaris, celebrating the greatness of Bob Newhart, and sugar. So much sugar.

Join us for some Christmas cheer and sing it loud for all to hear.

The parade of Christmas favorites continues with It's a Wonderful Life. Germ and Zach visit George Bailey and his exploits in Bedford Falls. Along the way, they cover the invention of "snow", how a clerical error made the film a classic, its rumored ties to Sesame Street, Zach's unpopular opinion (at least the one related to the film, there isn't time for all of them), and the duo talk about the history of societal norms in relation to gender.

It's a wonderful life, folks. Embrace it.

It's that time of year again! To open the celebration of the yuletide, Germ and Zach discuss Die Hard, the genre-bending action flick starring Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman. The duo talk about the studio plan for the role of John MacLane and why Bruce Willis was ultimately the controversial choice, the subtle forms of humor used througout, the odd dubbing choice for the iconic Yippie-ki-yay line, and Zach breaks down why Die Hard is a Christmas movie, touching on expected elements of a holiday film and why Die Hard checks all the boxes.

Spoiler alert: It's a Christmas movie.

With Gladiator II on the horizon (and now out!), Germ and Zach head back to the original to discuss casting, the incredible Hans Zimmer soundtrack (featuring Lisa Gerrard's haunting vocals), the epic opening battle sequence and how it became a lightning rod for protest, the great Richard Harris in one of his final performances, delve into the history of Rome, and debate human nature vs. hope for humankind.