The second film in our pairing was originally conceived as a re-make of the 1984 version, but was reconned into a sequel to make way for "Karate Kid: Legends" which would combine the two stories. The 2010 version of "The Karate Kid," directed by Harald Zwart, finds Dre Parker (Jaden Smith) and his mother Sherry (Taraji P. Henson) moving from Detroit, Michigan to Beijing, China for Sherry's work. There, Dre meets the building handyman, Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) when he goes to request a repair for their new apartment. He then heads to a nearby park, where he meets Meiying (Wenwen Han) and sparks fly! Unfortuntely for Dre, the leader of a group of young Kung Fu students, Cheng (Zhenwei Wang), takes exception to Meiying showing affection toward a foreigner and ends up beating up Dre. Again, similar to the original story, Dre finds a way to get back at the bullies and is attacked by five of them and hurt, but Mr. Han arrives and saves him. They travel together the next day to try to make peace, but the Master of the bully's dojo, Sensei Li (Rongguang Yu), demands that either Dre or Mr. Han fight to settle the matter of honor. Mr. Han instead offers to have Dre settle the issue at the upcoming Kung Fu tournament, and Sensei Li agrees. The film follows the storyline from the first movie, but with enough differences (Kung Fu vs. Karate for example) to keep it entertaining and to have you cheering Dre along his journey! Plus, the gents reveal which two Cohen Brothers films will be the first reviewed on the podcast!

In honor of the joining of two great movies in "Karate Kid: Legends," which came out on May 30th, 2025, we're looking at the two films that gave us the new film! First up, directed by John G. Avildsen, 1984's "The Karate Kid" introduced audiences to the story that would become an enduring franchise. Fifteen-year-old Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and his mother, Lucille (Randee Heller) have left their home in New Jersey and moved across the country to Los Angeles. After getting invited to a beach party by another teen who lives in the same apartment, Daniel meets Ali Millis (Elisabeth Shue) and the attraction is immediate. Unfortunately, her ex-boyfriend Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) arrives and takes exception to Daniel's interest in Ali and beats him up. Meanwhile, back at his apartment, Daniel meets the handyman Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita), who sees the young man struggling and teaches him the art of Bonsai. After Daniel exacts some minor revenge on Johnny and his pack, they beat Daniel unconscious, but Mr. Miyagi intervenes and sends the bullies packing. The next day, after attempting to forge peace with the sensei of the Cobra Kai dojo, John Kreese (Martin Kove), Mr. Miyagi agrees that Daniel and the bullies will settle their differences in the upcoming karate tournament. But will Daniel be ready to face the forces of Cobra Kai in time for the competition?

Our second Jersey film features the performance that won Michael Keaton his role as Tim Burton's Batman! Directed by Glenn Gordon Caron, 1988's "Clean and Sober" was the first non-comedic role for Keaton and featured a cast of great supporting players as welL! The story follows sleazy high-end real estate man Darly Poynter (Keaton) who awakes from a drug-fueled bender only to find that his romantic partner from the previous evening is non-responsive in his bed. After he calls an ambulance, the police immediately begin questioning him about what drugs were involved in the previous evening's festivities. Added to that, he has embezzled $90,000 from his employer and lost it all in an ill-timed real estate investment. After hearing an ad on the radio, Darly heads to a drug rehabilitation center as a way of hiding from anyone who might want to talk to him further. There he meets drug rehabilitation counselor Craig (Morgan Freeman), who doesn't fall for Daryl's hype or con for perhaps the first time in his adult life. He also finds himself attracted to fellow patients Iris (Claudia Christian) and Charlie Standers (Kathy Baker). After trying, and failing, to find a sponsor at a local AA meeting, he meets Richard Dirks (M. Emmet Walsh), who volunteers to be Daryl's sponsor against Daryl's protestations. But the road back is difficult and strewn with dangers and temptations. The film also stars Tate Donovan, Luca Bercovici, and Brian Benben. Plus, the gents reveal which film, and its "re-make," provide for the next pairing!

The great state of New Jersey is the focus of our next pairing, starting with a film about, arguably, it's most famous city! In 1980's "Atlantic City," director Louis Malle tells the story of two struggling individuals living in "the Las Vegas of the East." Lou (Burt Lancaster) is a former mob strongman, still protecting Grace (Kate Reid), a woman he was assigned to look after some 40 years earlier. Their relationship is strained and Grace is ungrateful, but Lou finds solace in watching his next-door neighbor, Sally (Susan Sarandon) through their respective kitchen windows. Sally works at a seafood restaurant in one of the Atlantic City casinos and is taking classes to become a dealer. When her husband estranged husband Dave (Robert Joy) and her sister Chrissie (Hollis McLaren), who is pregnant with Dave's baby, show up, Sally finds she can't turn them away. Dave and Chrissie, however, make her life miserable, especially when it becomes apparent that Dave is on the run from someone and has stolen a large amount of druges. As these characters' stories begin to blur and intertwine, the true effect of living in this particular city starts to reveal itself in ways no one wished for or saw coming.

The second time travel film takes us in a radically different direction story-wise. In 2012's "Looper," directed by Rian Johnson, we learn that sometime in the future, time travel is realized. Unfortunately, it's used exclusively by organized crime to dispose of bodies in the past where they'll never be found. Those who are stationed in the past to kill the mob's victims are called "Loopers." After learning about the culture of Loopers, we also learn about what it means to have your loop "closed," i.e. being told to terminate your future self, after which you are allowed to retire, given a small fortune, and released to live out the rest of your life however you wish, knowing you will be killed at a certain future date and time. But what happens when a Looper decides they don't want to be retired? Looper Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) receives orders to kill his future self, Old Joe (Bruce Willis). Old Joe, however, is in love with his soulmate and doesn't want to lose her, so he figures out a plan to take down the psychopath terminating Loopers and tries to convince Joe to join him for it. Unfortunately, the boss of the Looper, Abe (Jeff Daniels) has a responsibility to see that all closed loops actually happen, setting up a confrontation that doesn't end up going as you expect it to. Lots of turns and twists usually make a great time travel story, and this one is no exception! Also starring Emily Blunt, Paul Dano, Noah Segan, and Piper Perabo! Plus, the trio reveal which two films focusing on the dangers of alcohol make up the next two pairings!

It's time travel movies for this pairing, and two very different looks at the phenomenon (although both have an actor in common)! First up, director Terry Gilliam, of Monty Python fame, leads us on a whirlwind trip that may or may not actually be time travel in 1995's "12 Monkeys!" James Cole (Bruce Willis) is a prisoner in a strange, futuristic institution. One day, he's volunteered for something no one has ever returned from, according to his next-cell-neighbor, Jose (Jon Seda). Cole is sent to the surface to observe and report back, since scientists are still trying to solve the issue of the virulent plague that killed 99% of humanity a couple decades ago. After proving himself useful, he's again volunteered to be sent back in time for more information. He's supposed to end up in 1996, the year the virus was released, but instead ends up in 1990. There, he's quickly institutionalized after appearing quite insane, where he meets fellow inmate Jeffrey Goines (Brad Pitt) and sympathetic psychiatrist Dr. Kathryn Railly (Madeleine Stowe). He manages to escape, only to be yanked back to the future, then sent downtime again, this time to 1996, where he pursues the origin of the plague and convinces Dr. Railly that he's actually not insane. Or is he? Are the trips to and from the future real or are they just delusions, part of the manifestation of his mental illness? Also starring Christopher Meloni, Christopher Plummer, and Frank Gorshin!

The second film in our tribute to the late Val Kilmer may be the finest work in his filmography! Directed by George P. Cosmatos and written by Kevin Jarre, 1993's "Tombstone" tells the story of the Earp family. After retiring as a peace officer, Wyatt (Kurt Russell) has brought his brothers Morgan (Bill Paxton) and Virgil (Sam Elliott) together in Tombstone, Arizona, to retire and become entrepreneurs. Also joining him, and seeking a dry climate in the hopes of relieving his tuberculosis, is Doc Holliday (Kilmer). What stands in their way are the Cowboy, a vicious gang of exiled Texas outlaws, lead by Curly Bill Brocius (Powers Booth) and his right-hand, Johnny Ringo (Michael Biehn). After a troupe of actors, featuring Josephine Marcus (Dana Delany) and Mr. Fabian (Billy Zane) comes to town, an attraction between Josephine and Wyatt springs to life, drawing the two closer and closer, even though Josephine is dating the county sheriff Behan (Jon Tenny) and Wyatt is technically married to Mattie (Dana Wheeler-Nicholson). After the Cowboys' lawlessness wears down Virgil's reticence to get involved, he becomes the Sheriff of Tombstone, drafting Morgan as his deputy. This sets up the historic conflict at the OK Corral, and marks the beginning of the final conflict between the Earps and their allies, and the Cowboys. Also starring Charlton Heston, Jason Priestley, Stephen Lang, Thomas Haden Church, Paula Malcomson, Lisa Collins, and Joanna Pacula. Plus, the gents the two time-travel films that make up the next pairing!

We're celebrating the life and work of Val Kilmer, who passed away on April 1st, 2025. He left us a catalog of over 100 films, but we've chosen two of his best. First up, directed by Oliver Stone, 1991's "The Doors" chronicles the rise and fall of singer Jim Morrison. After leaving film school, Morrison (Kilmer) recruits his friend Ray Manzarek (Kyle MacLachlan) in an effort to start a band. They add Robby Krieger (Frank Whaley) and John Densmore (Kevin Dillon) and begin to perform as "The Doors." But Morrison is also smitten with a woman he followed home from the beach, Pamela Courson (Meg Ryan), and declares her his muse. After using psychedelic drugs to fuel their inspiration, the band is discovered by producer Paul Rothschild (Michael Wincott) from Elektra Records, and they're on their way to stardom! Unfortunately, Kilmer's fascination with alcohol, drugs, and other women, continually threatens to destroy the success the band has found. Also starring Michael Madsen, Billy Idol, and Kathleen Quinlan!

The second film in this pairing is another giant monster sequel, but this time to a Kaiju film from the 1950s. The original "The Return of Godzilla" was directed by Koji Hashimoto and Ishiro Honda. But, like the original in 1954, an Americanized version was created by shooting scnes with American actors and inserting them into the original film, which resulted in "Godzilla 1985!" With the American scenes directed by R. J. Kizer, the film featured veteran actor Raymond Burr reprising his role as a reporter by the name of Steve Martin. In this story, it's been 30 years since Godzilla originally attacked mainland Japan, and he has awakened from his hidden slumber to once again find and feed upon nuclear energy. This time, however, a young sailor, Hiroshi Okumura (Shin Takuma), a reporter, Goro Maki (Ken Tanaka), Professor Hayashida (Yosuke Natsuki) who studies mutations, and his research assistant Naoko Okumura (Yasuko Sawaguchi), who is also Hiroshi's sister, team up to try to find a way to stop the natural force that is the giant radioactive dinosaur. But even the best scientific minds, and the government's secret "Super X" plane, may not be enough to stop another battle that will destroy Tokyo! Plus, the trio reveal which two films they've chosen for the pairing honoring the late Val Kilmer!

This pairing was seeded by a request from one of our Patreon supporters, Flat Doug, who asked us to look back at this first film. Directed by Dino De Laurentiis, and written by James Ashmore Creelman, Ruth Rose, and Merian C. Cooper, 1976's "King Kong" was a record-setting special effects marvel and the first big-budget re-imagining of the original 1933 classic! The film follows Petrox oil executive Fred Wilson (Charles Grodin) who, along with his scientific advisor Bagley (Rene Auberjonois), are headed for a mysterious fog-shrouded island in search of oil. Just before their ship departs, however, a paleontologist named Jack Prescott (Jeff Bridges) sneaks on board, convinced that there's more than oil to be found at their destination. Along the way, they find a young woman named Dwan (Jessica Lange, in her first film role) unconscious abort a raft, drifting in the ocean. After rescuing her, she joins the expedition to Skull Island. When the company arrives, however, they discover that Prescott was right, and that something even bigger than a massive oil depository to be found on the island! Also starring John Randolph, Julius Harris, and Jack O'Halloran!