Happy birthday dear Spineless!

It’s the two-year anniversary of Spineless, and on this special episode, Nick and Brennan take a break from talking about movies that don't have a 4K release yet to talk about some movies that do. Each of us present three 4K releases that we watched in their entirety--commentaries, special features and all. Brennan tells us all about Synapse Films’ edition of Suspiria (1977), the Italian release of the currently-Spineless-in-North-America Megalopolis (2024), and Criterion's new edition of Network (1976). Nick walks us through the underseen Dead Mountaineer’s Hotel (1979) distributed by Deaf Crocodile, Criterion’s edition of Malcolm X (1992), and the out of print steelbook of The Incredibles (2004). Plus, Nick ambushes Brennan with not one but TWO surprise guests as Brennan finds himself in a Kinney Sandwich (the Kinneys are the bread in this situation and also there are three of them). In other words, it's a massive, must-listen episode and a heartfelt celebration of two great years of Spineless! Thanks for listening!

Suspiria in 30 Seconds and Re-Enacted by Bunnies

Original American Trailers for Suspiria

Original International Trailer for Suspiria

Suspiria: Synapse Films 4K release

Trailer for the 4K restoration of Dead Mountaineer's Hotel (1979) by Deaf Crocodile

Dead Mountaineer's Hotel: Deaf Crocodile 4K release

TV featurette on the making of Malcolm X

Malcolm X: Criterion 4K release

Network: Criterion 4K release

The Incredibles/Die Hard With a Vengeance

Deleted scenes from The Incredibles

Vowellet: An Essay by Sarah Vowell

The Adventures of Mr. Incredible (and Pals)

The Adventures of Mr. Incredible with COMMENTARY by Mr. Incredible and Frozone

xkcd: No Pun Intended

The niche of physical media is growing. More and more movies are getting quality releases on the newest and best format, making any film not yet available on 4K disc...SPINELESS. Join Nick and Brennan (your very-favorite SPINELESS BOYS) as they cover the classic and contemporary films they feel are most deserving of the 4K treatment.

REACH OUT TO THE SPINELESS BOYS:

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @spinelessfilms

Letterboxd: @SpinelessFilms

As always, thank you to Joey Johnson for our music and to Sparrow Potter for our artwork.

Our discussion has never been more coherent.

On this episode of Spineless, Nick and Brennan are joined by filmmaker Shane Chung to discuss COHERENCE, James Ward Byrkit’s mind-bending 2013 film about how much it sucks to play a game at a party. Is mumblecore good? What about improv? How about actors from Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Our hosts have varying thoughts. Plus, discussion of Shane’s award-winning short film CHECK PLEASE, which I don’t have a joke about because it looks awesome.

Follow Shane on Instagram @tunavegas!

The niche of physical media is growing. More and more movies are getting quality releases on the newest and best format, making any film not yet available on 4K disc...SPINELESS. Join Nick and Brennan (your very-favorite SPINELESS BOYS) as they cover the classic and contemporary films they feel are most deserving of the 4K treatment.

REACH OUT TO THE SPINELESS BOYS:

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @spinelessfilms

Letterboxd: @SpinelessFilms

As always, thank you to Joey Johnson for our music and to Sparrow Potter for our artwork.

🎶🎸🎵🎤 looks like a Garbage Pail Kid 🎵🎸🎶

On this week’s episode of Spineless, Nick and Brennan discuss Akiva Schaeffer’s 2016 film POPSTAR: NEVER STOP NEVER STOPPING, a picture-perfect satire on the music industry and a poignant picture of The Before Times™️. They discuss their histories with The Lonely Island, the various misadventures of one DJ Khaled, and Brennan’s Christmas traditions. We’re on a boat! Haha just kidding folks we’re actually on the podcast streamer of your choice so please subscribe and leave a review.

Jack Sparrow (feat. Michael Bolton)

I'm On A Boat (feat. T-Pain)

I Just Had Sex (feat. Akon)

Just do yourself a favor and watch all the Lonely Island Songs

To Sound Like T-Pain...You're Already Doing It

DJ Khaled's jet ski adventure

The niche of physical media is growing. More and more movies are getting quality releases on the newest and best format, making any film not yet available on 4K disc...SPINELESS. Join Nick and Brennan (your very-favorite SPINELESS BOYS) as they cover the classic and contemporary films they feel are most deserving of the 4K treatment.

REACH OUT TO THE SPINELESS BOYS:

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @spinelessfilms

Letterboxd: @SpinelessFilms

As always, thank you to Joey Johnson for our music and to Sparrow Potter for our artwork.

Ruh roh, jinkies, and zoinks! Oh my!

On this week’s episode of Spineless, Nick and Brennan are let off the leash with three-time guest Adelina Marinello to discuss SCOOBY-DOO 2: MONSTERS UNLEASHED (2004), written by James Gunn and starring a pitch-perfect cast as the Mystery Inc. gang. We talk about growing up with the iconic lime-green DVD case, how this sequel compares to its predecessor, and which member of Mystery Inc. we identify as. Does CGI Scooby hold up? What does it mean to “do a Frozone”? Is Sweater Velma hotter than Leather Velma? Scooby-Doo is a talking dog, we are meddling kids, and we aimed to crack the case of what makes this movie endure as a cult classic.

Support Adelina's new play She Is Risen by donating to this GoFundMe!

NYC: Come see She Is Risen, co-written and featuring a performance by Adelina and friend of the show Sophia Talwalkar, on Tuesday, August 18th at The Tank! Tickets available here

Chicago: Come have a pastry and a coffee at Adelina's pop-up cafe on Saturday, August 1st! Nick will be there helping serve up delicious baked goods and beverages. All proceeds support the world premiere of She Is Risen!

See A Little Night Music at the Marriott Theatre!

The Freddie Prinze Jr. clip that indirectly led to this episode

Watch The Scooby-Doo Project, the Cartoon Network parody of The Blair Witch Project

Sign the petition to bring back the original opaque Scooby-Doo gummies

The niche of physical media is growing. More and more movies are getting quality releases on the newest and best format, making any film not yet available on 4K disc...SPINELESS. Join Nick and Brennan (your very-favorite SPINELESS BOYS) as they cover the classic and contemporary films they feel are most deserving of the 4K treatment.

REACH OUT TO THE SPINELESS BOYS:

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @spinelessfilms

Letterboxd: @SpinelessFilms

As always, thank you to Joey Johnson for our music and to Sparrow Potter for our artwork.

Visit beautiful Valkenvania, where Nothing But Trouble awaits!

Dan Aykroyd loves two things: aliens and prosthetic makeup. In his 1991 directorial debut Nothing But Trouble, he's all out of aliens, but he makes up for it by casting himself as not one but TWO different characters in full-body makeup. On this episode of Spineless, Nick and Brennan dissect this bloated studio comedy, which serves as a cautionary tale of '90s excess and a fascinating insight into the mind of one of Canada's greatest comedic talents. How did a movie starring Chevy Chase, Demi Moore, and John Candy become a notorious commercial and critical flop? Why is Tupac Shakur in this movie? WHAT is on Dan Aykroyd's nose?!? But most importantly, does it deserve a 4K release? So crack open your Crystal Head vodka and climb aboard Mr. Bonesplitter for a ride--and an episode--you'll never forget.

Exploring Nothing But Trouble

The niche of physical media is growing. More and more movies are getting quality releases on the newest and best format, making any film not yet available on 4K disc...SPINELESS. Join Nick and Brennan (your very-favorite SPINELESS BOYS) as they cover the classic and contemporary films they feel are most deserving of the 4K treatment.

REACH OUT TO THE SPINELESS BOYS:

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @spinelessfilms

Letterboxd: @SpinelessFilms

As always, thank you to Joey Johnson for our music and to Sparrow Potter for our artwork.

Put on your best sequined gown and enter the Moulin Rouge on this episode of Spineless!

A showstopping performance by Nicole Kidman. A soundtrack of pop medleys. A love story for the ages. These are just some of the ingredients to Baz Luhrmann's extravagant musical Moulin Rouge!, the 2001 hit that revived the Hollywood musical. Nick and Brennan celebrate the film's 25th anniversary by welcoming Robin Borden back to the show to talk about the stage musical adaptation of the movie, the YouTube review of the film that was formative in Brennan and Robin's tween years, and John Leguizamo's sitar costume. Plus, we talk about Jim Broadbent's Oscar win for the second episode in a row (let's just pretend he won for Moulin Rouge!, it's more fun that way) and share our first experiences with the bombastic maximalism of Baz Luhrmann's signature style: high school English class.

Nostalgia Critic's Review of Moulin Rouge! which was Brennan and Robin's introduction to the film

Sideways breakdown of Les Miserables (2012)

The niche of physical media is growing. More and more movies are getting quality releases on the newest and best format, making any film not yet available on 4K disc...SPINELESS. Join Nick and Brennan (your very-favorite SPINELESS BOYS) as they cover the classic and contemporary films they feel are most deserving of the 4K treatment.

REACH OUT TO THE SPINELESS BOYS:

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @spinelessfilms

Letterboxd: @SpinelessFilms

As always, thank you to Joey Johnson for our music and to Sparrow Potter for our artwork.

Computer, show me a gigolo named Joe.

Beep boop beep boop! BrennanBot-9000 is here to bring you the show description for this episode on Steven Spielberg’s philosophical sci-fi epic A.I. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (2001). Nick and Brennan talk about the long development of this collaboration between Spielberg and Stanley Kubrick, the ethical concerns of AI, and Jude Law's iconic performance as Gigolo Joe (whaddya know). What is it like to watch this film in the AI-ridden world we now live in? How did Haley Joel Osment pull off such a nuanced performance as the robotic David? Plus, is Martin The Most Justified Villain in Film History, or is he A Little Shit Who Should Have Left David Alone? You don't need to ask AI the answer to these questions (please don't)--all you need to do is listen to this episode of Spineless. BrennanBot-9000 shutting down forever beep booooooop 💤

Read SuperToys Last All Summer Long, the basis for the film

What do you know, Gigolo Joe?

The niche of physical media is growing. More and more movies are getting quality releases on the newest and best format, making any film not yet available on 4K disc...SPINELESS. Join Nick and Brennan (your very-favorite SPINELESS BOYS) as they cover the classic and contemporary films they feel are most deserving of the 4K treatment.

REACH OUT TO THE SPINELESS BOYS:

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @spinelessfilms

Letterboxd: @SpinelessFilms

As always, thank you to Joey Johnson for our music and to Sparrow Potter for our artwork.

Reach into the grab bag on this special episode of Spineless!

Nick and Brennan are joined by film programmer Will Morris (co-founder of Oscarbate Film Collective, print traffic manager at Music Box Theatre, programmer of Music Box of Horrors, executive producer of Castration Movie, I could go on) to talk about not just one, not two, but FOUR movies you've probably never heard of that are ripe for rediscovery and restoration: The Granny (1995, dir. Luca Bercovici), a direct-to-VHS horror romp; Mondomanila (2012, dir. Khavn), an irreverent Filipino movie with electric editing and no holds barred; Tomorrow We Move (2004, dir. Chantal Akerman), a charming seriocomedy from a French auteur; and The Talisman (1987, dir. Mohamed Shebl), an Egyptian supernatural horror movie that has never been released on any physical media format. It's a jam-packed episode about the vast spectrum of cinema and why film preservation is more important than ever! It's an investigation into the limitations of a 4K upgrade! It's a cautionary tale about being kind to your Granny so she doesn't do a The Granny (1995) to you! It's the Spineless Grab Bag with Will Morris!

Check out Will's wonderful work at Chicago's Music Box Theatre, including Bleak Week!

Oscarbate Film Collective's next secret screening in their Trust Fall series is on 6/2!

The niche of physical media is growing. More and more movies are getting quality releases on the newest and best format, making any film not yet available on 4K disc...SPINELESS. Join Nick and Brennan (your very-favorite SPINELESS BOYS) as they cover the classic and contemporary films they feel are most deserving of the 4K treatment.

REACH OUT TO THE SPINELESS BOYS:

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @spinelessfilms

Letterboxd: @SpinelessFilms

As always, thank you to Joey Johnson for our music and to Sparrow Potter for our artwork.

Set sail with Nick and Brennan as they travel to that wonderful anime world of Hayao Miyazaki, where’s there’s SpongeBob voice actors around every corner!

No snakes on this plane but there is a dang PIG named Porco which is honestly a little bit rude! Things get a little bumpy on the ride as we sidebar about the Pantheon of Pig Cinema, the science of Fiona Shrek’s Curse and how it relates to Porco's pigness, oh and of course the entire Ghibli filmography.

Stay tuned til the end for a very very long and fun Animal Farm sidebar that Nick refused to place within the main episode. This is the sound of freedom 🐖💨.

Certified Calm Cloud Cinema: "Quiet" from Matilda the Musical (2022)

Bozo did the dub

The niche of physical media is growing. More and more movies are getting quality releases on the newest and best format, making any film not yet available on 4K disc...SPINELESS. Join Nick and Brennan (your very-favorite SPINELESS BOYS) as they cover the classic and contemporary films they feel are most deserving of the 4K treatment.

REACH OUT TO THE SPINELESS BOYS:

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @spinelessfilms

Letterboxd: @SpinelessFilms

As always, thank you to Joey Johnson for our music and to Sparrow Potter for our artwork.

On this episode of Spineless, Nick and Brennan are joined by actress Sophia Talwalkar (Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classess, now playing at Brennan's former workplace Audible's Minetta Lane Theatre) to discuss the lyrical family drama The Namesake. Sophia shares her personal connection to the 2006 film by Mira Nair as well as the source novel by Jhumpa Lahiri, a moving depiction of an Indian family settling in America. Kal Penn stars in a dramatic turn as Gogol, the first-generation American son of Ashima (Tabu) and Ashoke (a heart-breaking performance by the late great Irrfan Khan). Nick and Brennan discuss Nair's gentle style, the coveted Taj Mahal LEGO set, and the important role a young Zohran Mamdani played in the production of the film, two decades before he became the Mayor of New York. Plus, Nick dares to ask the important questions about Sophia's castmate Hugh Jackman and his close personal friends the Sheep Detectives.

NYC: Only three more performances of Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes!

Chicago: See Nick perform in moonwatchers on Thursday, May 7th at 8pm!

Buy or check out from the library Cinema Her Way by friend of the show Marya E. Gates--her interview with director Mira Nair was a great resource for this episode!

Kal Penn interview

The niche of physical media is growing. More and more movies are getting quality releases on the newest and best format, making any film not yet available on 4K disc...SPINELESS. Join Nick and Brennan (your very-favorite SPINELESS BOYS) as they cover the classic and contemporary films they feel are most deserving of the 4K treatment.

REACH OUT TO THE SPINELESS BOYS:

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @spinelessfilms

Letterboxd: @SpinelessFilms

As always, thank you to Joey Johnson for our music and to Sparrow Potter for our artwork.