Off The Shelf With Phil and Dave- A Movie Review Podcast

It's a new season, and we get some hot chocolate, pecan pie, and Dave takes 2000's Reindeer Games off the shelf. There is not a lot to cheer about as even Ben Affleck can't save this movie. Phil believes it struggles with tone, the direction is flawed, and the story crumbles under its own structure. Dave can't even be impressed by Charlize. The cast is good but wasted and the script, though a clever premise, can't keep it up.

Well it's the end of the year and we take 2023's Off the Shelf off the shelf. Phil and Dave look back on the year in the podcast, hand out some awards and tease some of the future movies coming up in 2024. Happy New Year!

What happens when violence surrounds you? Find out as Dave takes 2014's A Most Violent Year off the shelf. Phil enjoys the performances and the dark themes that run through the movie but doesn't totally connect at the end. Dave finds the movie a little hollow despite a collection of great scenes and characters. The violence the movie alludes to surrounds the characters but doesn't lead to the payoff they thought it would.

An angel may get their wings as Phil takes 1946's It's a Wonderful Life off the shelf. Phil recounts the emotions this movie brings up every time he watches it and shares that the next generation finds it just as impactful. Dave sees it for the first time and finds the humor to be pretty timeless and the performances beautiful. They even try out Jimmy Stewart impressions. Don't miss this one. :)

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Do you hear what I hear? Find out when Phil takes 1984's Gremlins off the shelf. Phil still connects to this holiday favorite which bridged his love of horror and Christmas to his young, impressionable mind. Those two things have stuck with him all the years since. Dave's first watch is met with a good feeling and an appreciation for the practical effects of the Gremlins themselves and is a little darker than he first thought.

We visit the airport again as  Dave takes 2000's Meet the Parents off the shelf. It's been 23 years since Phil had seen the movie and he remembers enjoying it but time has not been kind. The laughs feel pretty dated but some elements continue to be enjoyable. Mostly the cast. Dave barely remembers the movie and feels Owen Wilson steals the scenes he is in and it's nice to see James Rebhorn too. Movie is too long but some scenes hold up.

We take to the skies, the rails and the road as Phil takes 1987's Planes, Trains and Automobiles off the shelf. Phil revisits a holiday favorite and marvels at just how funny the lead actors are in such different ways. Dave had never seen the movie and connected to the performances and questions just how many Thanksgiving movies there have been. This one holds up.

Randall Wallace strikes again as Dave takes 2002's We Were Soldiers off the shelf. Phil finds this movie to have qualities that some previous war movies have not had and appreciated that scenes of the families at home more than the action. Dave finds the performances solid and the writing to be engaging and while he has seen it a few times before believes it continues to hold up.

The day that will live in infamy. Dave takes 2001's Pearl Harbour off the shelf and forced Phil to watch what he has dreaded. Dave commits to the relationships in this movie and finds its enough to keep interest throughout the whole 3 hours. Phil finds the whole thing a waste of time and feels that the choices Michael Bay makes don't make the drama any more interesting just boring. Strangely, Phil does believe the action is the best part of the movie.