The Kick

We may not always see eye to eye, but dammit, we're partners. This week, Noah and Chance take on three examples of Shane Black's buddy cop movies, 1987's Lethal Weapon, 2005's Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and the new Gosling/Crowe team-up, The Nice Guys. Noah is away from New York this week recording from a Summersville, West Virginia radio station with his lifelong pal Alex "Spiel" Wiederspiel. 

But first, Chance starts the show in conversation with director, actor and very busy film and TV crew member Josh Stephenson. Stephenson recently had his Shane Black trope-highlighting supercut featured on The AV Club.

https://vimeo.com/166662405

2:30 - Josh Stephenson on Shane Black and Iron Man 3 

15:30 - Noah, Chance and Spiel talk Lethal Weapon

29:00 - Pathetic RDJ is praised in our Kiss Kiss Bang Bang review

40:30 - Noah & Chance disagree on whether Gosling makes or sinks The Nice Guys

Pop on your vest or polo and try not to lose your mind as we head inside the fluorescent maze of movies set in big box stores. This week, Chance and Noah are joined by an old colleague to discuss the experience of working in a haven of "sad commerce." Former Walmart baker and current editor/radio host Casey Welsch starts the show with some personal insights. Then at 11:20, Chance and Noah talk the odd, inward plot weave of 2002's "One Hour Photo." At 29:30, it's onto "Employee of the Month" (2006), which stars Dane Cook and cannot be good. Then they close the show at 40:30 with an argument over whether the messy, alien-killing comedy "The Watch" (2012) has redeeming value.

In the spirit of this past weekend, Noah and Chance called their moms to discuss a favorite film from each. We begin from a dining room in Lawrenceville, New Jersey with a discussion of 1985's "Out of Africa," a sweeping romance about a Danish baroness (Meryl Streep) making her life in Kenya. At 27:50, they transition to 2001's "The Royal Tenenbaums," a movie the Solem-Pfeifer house bonded over for its lying, lovable patriarch and visual detail. Thanks for listening. And thanks for showing us movies, Moms.

In honor of Prince and the singular acting method of truly not caring that there's a camera in your vicinity, Noah & Chance each watched "Purple Rain" for the first time. They discuss its "miraculous" existence, a comparison to "Lemonade" and how the 1984 film is a genuine artistic fantasy.

In honor of Prince and the singular acting method of truly not caring that there's a camera in your vicinity, Noah & Chance each watched "Purple Rain" for the first time. They discuss its "miraculous" existence, a comparison to "Lemonade" and how the 1984 film is a genuine artistic fantasy.

Your ship’s nose may look majestic cutting it and it may invite one hell of an orchestral overture, but do not trifle with the sea. This week, we watched three disaster movies upon the waves. Noah and Chance hop right into marveling at "Titanic" (1997) and quoting a lot of Billy Zane lines. At 22:30, "The Perfect Storm" (2000) is far from a perfect movie, but only one of the hosts can forgive the chowdah accents and script. They close out at 34:15 with 1972’s "The Poseidon Adventure," a ‘70s disaster hulk with an over-sized cast and some dark, outdated ideas on what should happen to its members. Bon voyage! Wear a life vest!

I know it sounds crazy, but there's just something *different* about this episode. Could it be that these kids see dead people, move inanimate objects or shoot light from their eyes?

We begin with Noah having a firsthand encounter with the seemingly mystical. Then, it's on to a reappraisal of The Sixth Sense at the 6-minute mark. Is it still a watchable movie if you know about ... well, you know. At 24 minutes, they dive into the new Jeff Nichols movie Midnight Special, which is beautiful, but oh-so-frustrating. Finally, at 36 minutes, they argue about whether Matilda is charming or "icky."

Noah and Chance were held up by sickness and travel in their plans for a steel-jaw-meets-iron-glove fight over Batman Vs. Superman. But they still squabble a bit. Noah calls from a parked car in Los Angeles to explain what he finds entertaining about the much-maligned superhero showdown. Chance is largely incredulous.

In the late '80s and throughout the 1990s, Hollywood conceived a new wave of animation, cross-branding and films for children. They looked half-animated and half-live action, with entries like "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?", "Space Jam" and "The Pagemaster." On this week's episode, Noah and Chance revisit that trio and that era in filmmaking to assess the industry's artistic and business intentions and how well these cartoon hybrids hold up today.

But first, Chance calls Nigel Miguel, the basketball technical advisor to "Space Jam," to talk about the movie turning 20, the roadblocks to a potential sequel and Miguel's work in basketball movies like "White Men Can't Jump."

3:00 - Nigel Miguel Interview

14:30 - "Space Jam" Review

28:00 - "The Pagemaster" Review

42:00 - "Roger Rabbit" Review

In the post-awards wasteland, Noah and Chance took shelter underground this week with "10 Cloverfield Lane." A spirited conversation followed the bunker thriller and "Cloverfield" pseudo-sequel — about the state of popcorn filmmaking in 2016, how marketing creates suspense and what happens when you give John Goodman a real role.