Pop Culturing

Cathy and Todd discuss Planes, Trains, and Automobiles and why it’s become everybody’s favorite Thanksgiving movie.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles is a 1987 American buddy film written, produced, and directed by John Hughes. The film stars Steve Martin as Neal Page, a high strung marketing executive, and John Candy as Del Griffith, a goodhearted but annoying shower curtain ring salesman. They share a three day odyssey of misadventures trying to get Neal home to Chicago in time for Thanksgiving with his family.

Todd and Cathy discuss GoodFellas and why Tommy is funny like a clown.

Goodfellas (stylized GoodFellas) is a 1990 American crime film directed by Martin Scorsese. It is an adaptation of the 1985 non-fiction book Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi, who co-wrote the screenplay with Scorsese. The film narrates the rise and fall of mob associate Henry Hill and his friends and family from 1955 to 1980.

Cathy and Todd discuss Pretty in Pink and why “I just want them to know that they didn’t break me” still makes an impact 33 years later.

Pretty in Pink is a 1986 American teen romantic comedy film about love and social cliques in American high schools in the 1980s. A cult classic,[3][4] it is commonly identified as a “Brat Pack” film. It was directed by Howard Deutch, produced by Lauren Shuler Donner, and written by John Hughes, who also served as co-executive producer. It was named after the song by The Psychedelic Furs.

Cathy and Todd discuss classic 80’s St. Elmo’s Fire, a favorite and a prominent movie of the brat pack genre.  Recently watching it again is it as good as they remember?  

St. Elmo’s Fire is a 1985 American coming-of-age film directed by Joel Schumacher. The movie, starring Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy, Demi Moore, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy, and Mare Winningham, centers on a clique of recent graduates of Washington, D.C.’s Georgetown University, and their adjustment to post-university life and the responsibilities of adulthood. This film is a prominent movie of the Brat Pack genre. Despite heavy hype, the film was only a moderate financial success, grossing $37.8 million against a $10 million budget, and received mostly negative critical reviews.

Cathy and Todd discuss Netflix’s Unbelievable and why reactions to traumatic experiences are varying and unpredictable.

Unbelievable is an American web television drama miniseries starring Toni Collette, Merritt Wever, and Kaitlyn Dever. It is based on reporting by T. Christian Miller and Ken Armstrong originally published by ProPublica and The Marshall Project, about a series of rapes in Washington and Colorado.[1] The show was co-created by Susannah Grant, Ayelet Waldman, and Michael Chabon, with Grant, Michael Chabon, Ayelet Waldman, Sarah Timberman, Carl Beverly, and Katie Couric as executive producers. It was released on September 13, 2019 on Netflix.[2][3]

Cathy and Todd discuss Jerry Maguire and why a mission statement can lead to meaning and intimacy.

Jerry Maguire is a 1996 American romantic comedy-drama sports film written, produced, and directed by Cameron Crowe, and stars Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Renée Zellweger. Produced in part by long time Simpsons producer James L. Brooks, it was inspired by sports agent Leigh Steinberg, who acted as technical consultant on the crew.[2][3][4] It was released in North American theaters on December 13, 1996, produced by Gracie Films and distributed by TriStar Pictures.

The film received critical acclaim, with critics praising its acting and writing. The film was a financial success, bringing in more than $273 million worldwide against its $50 million budget.[1] It was the ninth-highest-grossing film of 1996.

The film was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Tom Cruise, with Cuba Gooding Jr. winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. The film was also nominated for three Golden Globes, with Tom Cruise winning for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, and three Screen Actors Guild Awards, with Cuba Gooding Jr. winning Best Supporting Actor.

Cathy+Todd discuss The Shawshank Redemption (#1 IMDB movie of all time), and why some endings are deserved.

The Shawshank Redemption is a 1994 American drama film written and directed by Frank Darabont, based on the 1982 Stephen King novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption. It tells the story of banker Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins), who is sentenced to life in Shawshank State Penitentiary for the murder of his wife and her lover, despite his claims of innocence. Over the following two decades, he befriends a fellow prisoner, contraband smuggler Ellis “Red” Redding (Morgan Freeman), and becomes instrumental in a money laundering operation led by the prison warden Samuel Norton (Bob Gunton). William Sadler, Clancy Brown, Gil Bellows, and James Whitmore appear in supporting roles.

Cathy+Todd discuss Dead Poets Society and share why Mr. Keating is the teacher we all need.

Dead Poets Society is a 1989 American drama film directed by Peter Weir, written by Tom Schulman, and starring Robin Williams. Set in 1959 at the fictional elite conservative Vermont boarding school Welton Academy,[4] it tells the story of an English teacher who inspires his students through his teaching of poetry.

The film received critical acclaim and was a box office success. It won the BAFTA Award for Best Film,[5] the César Award for Best Foreign Film and the David di Donatello Award for Best Foreign Film. Schulman received an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for his work.

Cathy and Todd discuss Say Anything and share why Lloyd and Diane’s love and friendship inspired us to be better people.

Say Anything … is a 1989 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Cameron Crowe in his directorial debut. The film follows the romance between Lloyd Dobler (John Cusack), an average student, and Diane Court (Ione Skye), the class valedictorian, immediately after their graduation from high school. In 2002, Entertainment Weekly ranked Say Anything … as the greatest modern movie romance, and it was ranked number 11 on Entertainment Weekly‘s list of the 50 best high-school movies.[3]

Cathy+Todd discuss the television series Sex and the City and share why these four women became our friends.

Sex and the City is an American romantic comedy-drama television series created by Darren Star and produced by HBO. Broadcast from 1998 until 2004, the original run of the show had a total of 94 episodes. Throughout its six-year run, the show received contributions from various producers, writers, and directors, principally Michael Patrick King.