The Butter Crew concludes their trek through our Desert Movies theme with Sam's selection, 1977's A New Hope: Star Wars Episode IV! How spellbinding are the visual effects, characters, and pacing of this franchise-starter? If Rey of the sequel trilogy is a "Mary Sue", isn't Luke Skywalker? Has Star Wars course corrected some of its blindspots as its cinematic universe expands? Will Dave admit he was probably being a bit of a curmudgeon when trashing the prequels? Answers to all these questions a...
Jul 18, 2022•48 min
The Butter Crew is back from their summer sabbatical ready to dig their heels into bringing you a mix of recommendations! What have we been watching? What have we enjoyed in our time off? And how was our summer break? Spoiler alert: a few of us got Covid.
Jul 10, 2022•45 min
The Butter Crew is still making its way across the sands of cinema as our Desert Movie theme rolls on with Connor's selection, 2021's Dune! How did Villeneuve and crew create a movie with such a unique level of detail and such a huge sense of scale? How well does this ensemble cast bring their characters off the page and onto the screen, and could more time have been spent on them in this already long film? When will the world finally see Sam's Beetlejuice-Dune Sandworm crossover? We answer thes...
May 21, 2022•1 hr 21 min
The Butter Crew reunite for their new theme: Desert Movies! This week, the gang put the pedal to the metal with Dave's selection, 1981's The Road Warrior (aka Mad Max 2)! How incredible are the practical effects, stunts, and production design of this cult classic? How riveting are George Miller's vision and world building of the post-apocalyptic Wasteland? And where, "in this blighted place", did the Humungous's gang get ahold of so much hair dye? Buckle up as we find out!
May 14, 2022•1 hr 39 min
The Butter Crew wasn't able to assemble this week, which left Dave (Daves?) to his own devices! Join him as he tumbles headlong into the 1953 Merrie Melodies short Duck Amuck! Is this one of the best and most experimental shorts of the Looney Tunes catalogue? Can an iconic character such as Daffy Duck be recognizable even when stripped of not only their voice, but their physical form? Is Dave ok, or has discussing this classic cartoon warped his brain irrevocably? Tune in and find out if "it mak...
May 07, 2022•14 min
As our Movies We Dragged Our Parents To theme concludes, we dive into Chrystine's selection, 1995's Waterworld! Could the roles of antagonist and protagonist be any murkier? Why, in a movie that seems to hate everyone, does it hate women so much? Was this conceived as something of a "Mad Max goes surfing"? And do the spectacular technical elements and production design of this "water-flop" warrant a reassessment? We wade into these questions and more this week!
Apr 30, 2022•1 hr 6 min
As our Movies We Dragged Our Parents To theme rolls on, we sink our teeth into Sam's selection, 2008's Twilight! Did we all find ourselves under the spell of this strange teen melodrama? Yes. Do the insane and disparate decisions and themes come together to make a memorable film? Yes! Baseball? YES! All this and more as we glisten in the light of this truly special picture!
Apr 22, 2022•1 hr 8 min
This week as we continue our look back on Movies We Dragged Our Parents To, we're blown to smithereens by Dave's selection, 1996's Independence Day! This movie was a smash-hit blockbuster upon its release, but does it hold up? Can the practical effects hold a candle to today's CGI? Does its ensemble cast bring its best to the film? Is it still as captivating in spite of all its glaring plot holes? The answer to these questions (all yes!) and more, so tune in!
Apr 15, 2022•1 hr 7 min
Nostalgia season has set in as we roll into our new theme, Movies We Dragged Our Parents To! This week, we're dissecting Connor's pick, 2001's Osmosis Jones! Who thought it was a good idea to let the Farrelly Brothers direct a kids movie? Who exactly was this movie made for and what is it driving at? Why, in a world where a man's interior anatomy becomes a bustling cityscape, does everything look like a sphincter? All this and more as we reminisce about this disgusting movie!
Apr 08, 2022•1 hr
Our Thuds and Duds theme concludes with this week's episode and Dave's selection, 1999's American Beauty! Why were we supposed to like Lester Burnham? Why was this movie such a huge and celebrated phenomenon in a year of other fantastic films? Why were we supposed to like Lester Burnham? Does the film hold up today, or have shifting cultural attitudes and necessary social conversations aged it too much? And WHY...were we supposed to LIKE Lester Burnham? Seriously! Tune in as we "look closer"!...
Apr 01, 2022•1 hr 22 min
The Thuds and Duds roll on as we discuss Connor's pick, 2016's X-Men: Apocalypse! Even our tech couldn't handle this movie, leading us to rerecord the first half! Join us as we struggle to remember what we had already covered, and struggle to wade through this jumbled mess of a superhero flick! Do we really need this many characters and locations? Why did the same creative team behind the other films undercut their work in this prequel? And why doesn't anybody remember meeting Wolverine? All thi...
Mar 25, 2022•1 hr 52 min
Our Thuds and Duds theme continues, and this week we're exploring the infinite abyss that is Chrystine's selection, 2004's Garden State! Was it a good idea to hand Zach Braff the keys to writing, directing, and starring in his own movie? Was Natalie Portman's character supposed to be written as a child? Did we all collectively age out of this movie, or was it actually just pretty bad to begin with? Tune in to find out!
Mar 18, 2022•1 hr 41 min
The Butter Crew is sinking to the bottom of the barrel with our new theme, Thuds and Duds - films that haven't aged well, weren't that great to begin with, and/or just plain stink! This week we discuss Sam's likely controversial choice, 2010's Inception! Does this heist/action movie suffer from pacing issues? Are the aggressive subconscious projections a cool device or just plain goofy? And what's up with Christopher Nolan's League of Dead Wives? Tune in as we go several layers deep and decide i...
Mar 11, 2022•1 hr 7 min
The Butter Crew dresses to the nines and rolls out the red carpet this week as we present our 2021 Awards Extravaganza! Tune in as we select our 2021 nominees for Best Performance, Best Sound Design/Score, Best Cinematography, Best Screenplay, Best Television Show, Best Director, the controversial Worst Picture, and, of course, Best Picture! How much does Connor love Dune? How much does Dave hate Music? Will Sam bring us a dark horse wildcard for Best Director? Listen in to find out, and be sure...
Mar 05, 2022•1 hr 17 min
Hey listeners! We've reached the closing number of our Movie Musicals theme, and Sam has us revisiting the work of Elton John via 2019's Rocketman! Listen in as we cover the film's unique repackaging of a familiar format, praise Egerton's interpretation of the singer, and reveal our personal favorite Elton John tracks! Don't Let The Sun Go Down On You without hearing this one!
Feb 25, 2022•53 min
GOTTA DANCE! We're keeping the beat as our Movie Musicals theme continues with Chrystine's pick, 1952's Singin' In The Rain! Tune in as we waltz our way through the film's incredible, breathless dance set-pieces, its ahead-of-its-time self-awareness, and its storied history as a grueling but classic production!
Feb 18, 2022•1 hr 3 min
We're still singin' along as we continue our Movie Musicals theme, and Connor's brought us the sumptuous treat that is 1971's Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory! No, NOT the Burton one! Listen in as we weigh the film's masterful balance of whimsy and menace, cover many of its iconic songs, and present a blistering exposé on the secret scourge that is Grandpa Joe!
Feb 13, 2022•1 hr 28 min
Hey there, listeners! We're tapping our toes to a new theme, Movie Musicals, and this week Dave throws us a genre curveball with 2021's Bo Burnham: Inside! Join us as we explore Burnham's internet/pandemic hellscape song-by-song, delve into its layers of performance vs. authenticity vs. performative authenticity, and decide if "self awareness doesn't absolve anyone of anything" (spoiler alert: it doesn't!).
Feb 04, 2022•1 hr 25 min
Our Magic Movie theme rolls on, and for our next trick, Connor has selected 2006's The Prestige! Listen in as we revel in the magic of Bale, Jackman, and Caine's performances, delve deep into the fractured chronology of the film, and hear our general thoughts on celebrated director Chris Nolan! You won't believe your ears!
Jan 29, 2022•1 hr 8 min
Our Magic Movie theme continues with Dave's pick, 1984's The NeverEnding Story! Join us as we travel Fantasia, marveling at this film's brilliant character and set designs, rocking out to its banger of a titular song, and trying our best to figure out what is happening and why! Would we take to the skies riding Falcor ourselves, or are we just a bunch of Gmorks? Tune in to find out!
Jan 21, 2022•1 hr 3 min
Hey everyone! Magic is still in the air as the gang rolls on with Magic Movies! Chrystine's selection, 2020's one-man-show-turned-cinematic-event In And Of Itself! Join us as we ponder how the film compares to the live show, weigh the elements of performance and artifice, and each reveal our thoughts on sleight of hand and magic in general!
Jan 14, 2022•49 min
Hey folks! Magic is in the air, and the Butter crew are pulling back the curtain on some of our favorite Magic Movies! Sam takes the stage with 1964's Disney masterpiece Mary Poppins! Join us as we revisit and re-evaluate this classic, decide if its blend of live-action and animation holds up, and discuss what the so-termed "Disney magic" is and whether or not we believe!
Jan 07, 2022•52 min
Hey Butter-buddies! This week we conclude our Cold Movies theme with Chrystine's selection, 2007's My Winnipeg! Chill with the crew as we untangle fact and fiction in this "docu-fantasia" that explores Winnipeg's rich yet tragic civic history, creates a complex municipal mythology, and delves into the ambiguity between memories, legends, and outright fabrications. Plus, is the penultimate embrace between mother and son tender or skeevy? Tune in to find out!
Jan 01, 2022•57 min
Hey there, Butter-bigfoots! Our Cold Movies theme rolls on with Dave's selection, 2017's Pottersville! Join us as we try our damndest to understand what these filmmakers were thinking, decide whether the cast of grizzled heavies hits their family-friendly-comic beats, and tease out if this was a genuine passion project or a regional money laundering scheme!
Dec 24, 2021•59 min
Hey folks! Bundle up with the Butter crew as our Cold Movies theme rolls on with Sam's pick, 2015's The Spirit Of Christmas! Tune in as we try to make sense of this merry mystery, discuss whether or not pocket-square designer Thomas Beaudoin can act his way out of a paper bag, and ponder the age old question: How much do ghosts really need to eat?
Dec 17, 2021•51 min
A butter-blizzard is upon the crew as we revisit one of our first-year themes: "Cold" Movies! The first cold front passing through is Connor's selection, 1990's Misery! Gather 'round the fire as we discuss this film's brilliant and taut atmosphere, Kathy Bates's stellar and menacing performance, and, as we always ask this time of year, whether or not the snow is real?
Dec 10, 2021•1 hr 24 min
Hey Butter-divas! Concluding our Fighting And Family is Chrystine's selection, 2019's Fighting With My Family! Tag in with the crew as we wrestle with this film's family themes, its outstanding and/or underwhelming performances, and whether we feel it squares with the realities of the industry it portrays! Plus, the gang plays a little wrestling trivia! Do we know our stuff?! (Spoiler: we tapped out)
Dec 04, 2021•1 hr 14 min
Hey there, Butter-bruisers! Our Fighting And Family theme rolls on as we roll with the punches into Dave's selection, 2008's The Wrestler! Listen in as we tackle the triumphant return of Mickey Rourke, the physical toll of professional wrestling, and find out if infamously unflinching director Darren Aronofsky's dark interpretation of the industry had us tapping out or not!
Nov 26, 2021•57 min
Hey Butter-brawlers! Continuing our Fighting And Family theme, this week Connor walks us through the gritty underbelly of the big apple with 1979's The Warriors! Tune in as we follow the titular gang on their cross-city trek battling rivals, jumping turnstiles, and maybe even finding love along the way! Plus we fawn over David Patrick Kelly's insane and unforgettable performance as the film's antagonist. Cannnn youuuu DIG IT?!
Nov 20, 2021•1 hr 21 min
Hey there, Butter-boxers! We're kicking off our Fighting And Family theme this week, and Sam's choice, 2011's Warrior, has us all against the ropes! Tune in as we take the emotional punches, break down these powerhouse performances, and dig into the surprisingly tender core of this brutal knockout of a film! Plus, a soundtrack prominently featuring The National? Call the fight, I'm hurtin'!
Nov 12, 2021•53 min
