We continue our trek down memory lane this week with another Butter Classic, and Dave has dug up one of our first episodes on 1996's Fargo! Have Dave's thoughts on its ending changed over the years? Is it still his 2nd favorite film, or has it shifted? Listen in for answers, and the gang's thoughts on this Coens classic!
Hey folks! With the downtime we have as we take a break for the month, we’ve had an opportunity to revisit some of our older episodes! This week, Connor revisits our discussion of 1990’s Misery (Episode 147)! Stay tuned as the month rolls on and we highlight some of our favorite past discussions!
Wow! We've made it, folks: EPISODE 200! What better way to celebrate this podcasting milestone than by diving deep into the beloved 1939 film The Wizard of Oz! Join us as we revel in the film's incredible design, discuss its iconic characters, and unearth the surprisingly grim production history of this classic. We also listen in on messages from some of our biggest supporters, and there's even a wild surprise at the end! Thank you for listening, and here's to 200 EPISODES of Butter With That!...
As our Loooove Theme concludes, Chrystine serves up a surprise dish: 2017’s Phantom Thread! What do we make of Anderson’s vision of a twisted, kinky, and ultimately heartwarming romance? Among this fantastic wardrobe, which dresses/garments caught our eye respectively? And can you believe someone other than Dave picked a P.T. Anderson flick?! Tune in for answers to these questions, and much more! And don't miss next week's special 200th Episode!
Our Loooove Theme is still in the air, and Connor has exhumed 2013’s Warm Bodies! What do we make of this zombie-filled adaptation of Romeo And Juliet (and how surprised are some of us by the not-so-subtle nods we missed)? How about these visually and conceptually poorly defined Boneys? And an age old question - do zombies need to use the bathroom? Stagger and groan along with the crew as we answer these questions and more!
The Loooove Theme continues with Sam's selection, 2017's Gifted! How well does this film explore familial love through the lens of education? Does it telegraph an informed or well-intentioned but misguided slant on advanced education and placement? And how about this adorable one-eyed cat? Take your seats and listen in this week to find out!
We’re launching into our new Loooove Theme, and Dave pivots from his trademark Contrarian Corner to his newfound Sentimental Corner with 2022’s A Love Song! Is this tale of widowers rekindling lost longing expectedly heartbreaking or surprisingly and soaringly optimistic? How well do seasoned character actors Dale Dickey and Wes Studi carry their lead performances? And how about this cinematography? Hike up to the summit with us for answers!
Our Fun In Dysfunction theme concludes with Chrystine's selection, 2014's Force Majeure! Does the chance avalanche of emotion in the film portray a dysfunctional family, or perhaps dive into dysfunction's socially gendered roots, or both? What do we make of the film's ending: does it subvert or serve its themes? And how well does this original telling stand against its American remake, Downhill? Tune in to find out!
The Fun In Dysfunction theme continues with Dave's selection, 2001's The Royal Tenenbaums! What does the gang make of this ensemble cast of quirky characters colliding as a family unit? Does the film achieve a sense of grounded realism, or does Anderson walk us through a fairy-tale vision of New York City populated by larger-than-life figures? Which member of the titular Tenenbaum family do we each individually want to console with a hug? Throw on your signature red tracksuits and sprint through...
The gang continues unpacking Fun In Dysfunction, our dysfunctional families theme with Sam's pick, 1989's Steel Magnolias! What do we make of the community of characters and the stellar cast playing them? Does this beloved classic juggle humor and melodrama while sticking the landing on both? And which of our moms has an incidental guest appearance while turning in for the night? Listen in to find out!
The holidays have come and gone, and the Butter Crew are kicking off the new year by putting the Fun In Dysfunction, exploring dysfunctional families within film! Connor sets the table with 2015's Krampus! How well does the movie juggle horror, humor, and the holidays all at once? How about these practical effects and creepy Christmas critter designs? What's the deal with this Krampus lore, and which of us would survive it? Tune in this week to find out!
As our Real Vs. Reel biopic theme draws to a close, Dave presents 2022's Elvis! ...this movie's insane. Tune in!
Our Real Vs. Reel biopic theme rocks on, and this week we're tappin' our toes to Chrystine's selection, 2014's Love And Mercy! How well does the film cover two very different periods of Beach Boys singer Brian Wilson's life, and how well do the two different actors (Cusack and Dano) embody him? Do the film's two different styles and perspectives cohere, or do they wipe out? How do our parents feel about the Beach Boys vs. The Beatles? How do YOU feel about the Beach Boys vs. The Beatles? Listen ...
Real Vs. Reel, our biopic series, rolls on and this week the gang hit the slopes with Sam’s pick, 2016’s Eddie The Eagle! How well does the film tell the story of Michael “Eddie” Edwards, an Olympic ski jumper who set British records while finishing last? Do Egerton and Jackman bring proper depth to their subjects, or doesn’t the tone make that depth necessary? And that Bo Derek scene? Listen in for answers to these questions and more!
This week we're launching our new biopic theme, Real Vs. Reel! Join us as we investigate Connor's selection, 2002's Catch Me If You Can! Should a biopic stick to the capital-T Truth, or is a biopic about a con artist justified in fabricating the details? How well do we feel Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio play off of one another? Is this one of Spielberg's classic bigger-than-reality stories, or does it stand out as a strange entry for this storied director? Catch the episode if you can for answ...
Roommate Revenge wraps up this week with Sam's selected movie, 2019's 1917! Does the continuous shot motif pay off as immersive or does it ultimate distance the viewer? What, if anything, does this movie have to say about WWI and/or war in general? Are the a-historic liberties the film takes functional or kind of an oversight? And milk in a canteen? AT WAR? We take to the trenches for answers to these questions and more, so tune in!
Roommate Revenge rages on as we take on Chrystine's assigned movie, 2013's Austenland! Does this rom-com/Austen satire come across as an affectionate ode or an ineffective farce? How well does it juggle a will-they-won't-they tension among its multiple relationship possibilities? And what does the gang make of yet another rom-com airport scene? Listen in this week for answers to these questions and more!
Roommate Revenge rolls on, and this week Dave has been assigned 2017's The VelociPastor! Does this self-styled "good-bad" cult/b-movie stick the landing, or wade too far into genuinely bad movie territory? Is the humor self-aware and snappy enough, or does it linger too long on underwritten bits? Was this ultimately an exercise in wasted potential, or does it rise to the status of a strong and considered genre parody? Tune in for these answers and more!
This week we're launching our special new theme, Roommate Revenge! Sam's housemates Heather and Kara have tuned in and watched our selections for years now and finally have the opportunity to weigh in and assign each member of the crew their own episode! Their selection for Connor is 1992's Encino Man! Join us as we try to establish a thru-line in a movie that basically amounts to a montage! Does Brendan Fraser carry the weight of the other lacking performances? Tune it to see how well the roomm...
After a brief break, Butter is back! This week, we're concluding our Underrated Movies theme with an out-of-this-world movie, Chrystine's selection, 2018's Prospect! Blast off with the crew as we weigh in on the film's balance of sci-fi and western movie tropes, review the characters from page to screen, and tip our hats to just how much detail the filmmakers created on a shoe-string budget! And be sure to join us again next week when we launch into a brand new, long awaited theme!
Our Underrated Movies revival rolls on, and Connor digs through his case-files to present 2007's Zodiac! Does Fincher respectfully handle the material of this infamous true crime story? Who among this ensemble cast of character actors stand out, or do they all bring real talent to the table? How does the film handle the ambiguity of the as-yet/still unsolved case, and does that ambiguity lend itself to a successful screenplay? Decode this cypher of an episode to find out for yourselves!
This week the Butter crew takes their Underrated Movies theme back to the barnyard with Dave's selection, 1995's Babe! Does this film deserve more recognition than the go-to pop culture reference "That'll do, pig. That'll do"? Will Sam ever be able to move past the titular piglet being on the "business end" of a shotgun in one scene? Does this Chris Noonan film have George Miller's fingerprints all over it? And seriously, what was up with that shotgun scene?! We'll explore these questions and mo...
It's been four years on the air(!) and so the Butter crew is reviving its inaugural theme, Underrated Movies! Sam gives us the stick-count as we launch into Tom Hanks' screenwriting/directorial debut, 1996's That Thing You Do! Is this bubbly and peppy story of a one-hit-wonder band a little too light for its own good, or does that make it more charming? Does Hanks pull off his desired no-bad-guys/all-likable-characters vibe? Does the crew somehow tie this movie into the Forrest Gump cinematic un...
The gang takes their seats for the last entry in our Movies That Brought Us Back To The Theater theme, Chrystine's selection, 1998's Ever After! Does this fairy-tale genre-parody dramedy tell the true story of Cinderella? Does this telling subvert both the knight-in-shining-armor and damsel-in-distress archetypes? Did the real Cinderella need a fairy godmother, or was she actually aided by Leonardo Da Vinci? Listen in for answers to these questions and more!
This week's installment of Movies That Brought Us Back To The Theater is Sam's selection, 2021's blockbuster smash-hit Spider-Man: No Way Home! Which of the three Spider-Men turns in the strongest performance? How about the weakest? How well does the film handle its complex themes of justice and redemption? And what does the crew imagine the future holds for Holland's Peter Parker moving forward? Join us as we untangle this web of questions and more!
The gang continues their Movies That Brought Us Back To The Theater theme with Dave's selection, 2012's The Master! As we discuss this challenging and elusive work, what do we make of enigmatic cult leader Lancaster Dodd's (Hoffman) "mastery" of his protege Freddie Quell (Phoenix)? What is this film getting at in terms of theme and/or message, or should it remain opaque? Will Dave eventually drag the rest of the gang through ALL of P.T. Anderson's films? Go "back beyond" with us as we answer the...
This week the crew is serving up a fresh new theme, Movies That Brought Us Back To The Theater! This week, Connor's ordered up 2022's The Bob's Burgers Movie! How well did this long-running cartoon series make its transition onto the big screen? Does it do a good job of reaching new audiences while satisfying die hard fans? And what makes Bobs Burgers a stand out series: the Belchers themselves, the ensemble cast of characters, the songs, or all of the above? Answers to these questions and more ...
We've reached the bottom of the Movie Grab Bag, and Dave's pulled a pretty wild selection, 2000's Songs From The Second Floor. Did the Crew warm up to Roy Andersson's cold arthouse vision of full scale collapse? Is the film ultimately chilling and distanced, humorous and inviting, or somehow both? Did a sequence involving a corporate/ritualistic child sacrifice get a surprise laugh out of each of us? Listen in this week to find out!
Our Movie Grab Bag theme drives on as Sam presents a long awaited selection, 1986's Maximum Overdrive! How are author Stephen King's directorial chops in this, his sole directing credit? Do we spend way too long with these underdeveloped characters trapped in a diner and/or pumping gas? And what about the dog that gets choked to death by a remote control car? We speed through these questions and more in this week's action-packed-ish 80s gem!
The Butter Crew is wetting their beaks with their new Movie-Grab-Bag theme and discussing an assortment of films we enjoy! Connor kicks us off with the 2016 documentary Chicken People! Does this film portray the art of breeding and presenting show-chickens as maudlin escapism or with a tasteful tenderness? Would we eat the hypothetical chickens we would each hypothetically raise? And, when put to the test, which chickens would each member of the Crew be? Tune in to find out!
