Reviewed Podcast

Considered by many to be the quintessential “coming-of-age” film, Stand By Me is one of the rare movies about children that’s actually made for adults, balancing both youthful comedy and heavier dramatic themes like death, grief, and class status. But, considering our nostalgia-obsessed culture and the myriad of imitators that have popped up in its wake, does Stand By Me‘s sentimental warmth still resonate as strongly today, 31 years later? On this warm summer evening, Mike, Ivan, and Dave embark down the train tracks to find out!

Often considered to be one of the most important American political movies ever made, All the President's Men is a film that truly stands the test of time. Now, in the wake of current political scandal in the United States, it's also perhaps never been more prescient. Dave, Ivan, and Mike re-visit the 1976 classic to see how viewing it in today's tumultuous landscape reflects current events, and how the film artistically holds up as a whole.

Vaya con dios, broheims! Time to catch a sick wave and rob some banks with Kathleen Bigelow's 1991 action crime thriller, Point Break. Although it was remade in 2015 and essentially ripped off plot-wise by the inaugural Fast and the Furious in 2001, there's only one true original. So, does it hold up? Is this a compelling action film? Or just another cheesy 90s action flick that somehow got elevated into the cultural lexicon? Grab your board, dude, and lets find out!

Ghost may just be one of the biggest cinematic hits...well...ever. Produced for just 22 million, this "mid-budget" film went on to gross over $505.7 million at the box office and was nominated for five Academy Awards (despite being panned by most mainstream critics). But, now that the infamous pottery scene has been parodied ad nauseam and the film has been showing on basic cable indefinitely, does it still hold up? Do Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore still make audiences want to believe?

Nominated for a slew of Oscars in 1992 (including best picture and best director), The Crying Game made quite a splash when it was released amongst both audiences and critics. But, how does this Irish crime thriller—which explores issues of race, gender, and nationality— hold up? Does knowing a movie's twist (before you've seen it), ruin the viewing experience? More over, does the film feel just as edgy 25 years later or has the shock value worn off? Find out in our Re-view!

To honor the late great Bill Paxton, we turn to James Cameron's big budget action comedy, True Lies. Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Arnold, and, of course, Bill Paxton (perfectly cast as a sleazy used car salesman), it was the first film ever to have a production budget over $100 million. But, with all that cash behind it, is it actually a good movie? How does it fit into Cameron's blockbuster oeuvre? Are the jokes still funny? Is the action still...um...action packed? Tune in to find out!

Resistance is futile! Dave, Ivan, and Mike journey boldly to where no podcasters have gone before—a re-view of the Star Trek film, First Contact. Hitting theaters in 1996, First Contact is by far the most successful of the Next Generation Star Trek Films. It was critically acclaimed and did well at the box office. But, now that the Star Trek franchise has been rebooted under the creative supervision of JJ Abrams, does First Contact's star still shine as bright?

In a special bonus episode of the podcast, Ivan chats with filmmaker and cinephile Shahir Daud to talk about Jean-Luc Goddard's Breathless, the 1960 French New Wave film that is often considered to be one of the most influential movies ever made. The goal of this "film school" series is simple: revisit classic movies that often comprise a cinematic education and determine if they work beyond a purely intellectual capacity. In that regard, is Breathless still as effective and powerful today in landscape where jump cuts and vérité filmmaking are the norm? Shahir schools me on Breathless's importance and provides context for its placement on film school syllabuses across the world.

If you have movie suggestions for future "film school" episodes, email us at [email protected]

With a live action version about to hit theaters, we travel back to the golden age of modern Disney animation—1991 to be exact—for a re-view of the animated musical classic, Beauty and the Beast. For millennials, the film is somewhat of a cultural touchstone. And, critically it was lauded—it was the first animated film to ever be nominated for best picture at the Oscars. But, how does this hit Disney fairytale fable hold up when watched now? Is the Disney magic still there? Be Our Guest for the podcast...listen and find out!

In the early aughts, writer/director M. Night Shyamalan could do no wrong. Coming off the monumental success of The Sixth Sense, he was heralded as the next Spielberg—a young directorial genius that was bound to change the way we watched movies. Then, came a string of flops—from Lady in the Water to The Happening to The Last Airbender (fanboys are still angry about that last one). As Shyamalan's next project, Split, hits theaters, we decided it was time to look at one of his earlier, more successful films: the superhero/supernatural drama Unbreakable. Although not as widely popular as The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable has amassed as cult following, with some even considering it to be one of the best superhero films ever made. While we're now accustomed to seeing men and women with capes and cowls at the box office, back in 2001, the image wasn't so commonplace. So, looking back 16 years, how does Unbreakable hold up? Is it a polished thriller that ushered in a new wave of pop culture? Or, another clunky misstep in Shyamalan's much scrutinized oeuvre?