Send us a Question! PARTY PLEASER: Guest: Nerds & Jesus Podcast & Instagram Mary Howell, lead host of the Nerds & Jesus Podcast, joins Melvin in summarizing a formative experience in Ryan Reynold's Hollywood career, Green Lantern ! This stupendously expensive cinematic-universe starter failed to meet expectations, disappointing moviegoers the world over! And now it's time for us to be disappointed! Topics: (PATREON EXCLUSIVE) 41-minutes discussing "Cinematic Universe" intrigue and fa...
Apr 09, 2024•1 hr 18 min•Season 1Ep. 183
Send us a Question! MOVIE DISCUSSION: Kelsey Kramer McGinnis on Instagram & Christianity Today Pre-Order: The Myth of Good Christian Parenting: How False Promises Betrayed a Generation of Evangelical Families by Marissa Burt & Kelsey McGinnis Kelsey Kramer McGinnis, contributing author to Christianity Today and Professor at Grand View University, joins Melvin in discussing a classic film adaption in early feminist literature, The Stepford Wives ! Topics: (PATREON EXCLUSIVE) 38-minutes di...
Apr 02, 2024•1 hr 29 min•Season 1Ep. 182
Send us a Question! PATREON PARTY PLEASER: This movie was selected by our Patreon Supporters over at the Cinematic Doctrine Patreon . Support as little as $3 a month and have your voice heard! Shirleon joins Melvin in summarizing and reliving the early DCOM era of television with The Luck of the Irish , a movie that wears its inspiration on its sleeve! From weird patriotism to grotesque food, the two have fun traveling back to the early '00s for some wacky-and-weird high-school hijinks! Topics: ...
Mar 26, 2024•1 hr 12 min•Season 1Ep. 181
Send us a Question! MOVIE DISCUSSION: Jerry Dugan's "Beyond the Rut" Podcast & Book Cinematic Doctrine's Dune Episode Jerry Dugan from the Beyond the Rut Podcast joins Melvin and Shirleon in discussing Denis Villeneuve's latest film, Dune: Part Two ! Jerry and Shirleon share insight into the original Frank Herbert novel, how Villeneuve's two films handle adapting such complex material, and the tragedy of Paul Atreides. Topics: (PATREON EXCLUSIVE) 42-minutes roleplaying as Imagineers building...
Mar 19, 2024•1 hr 42 min•Season 1Ep. 180
Send us a Question! MOVIE DISCUSSION: The Gospel According To Podcast & Instagram Dave Hallahan of The Gospel According To podcast joins Melvin in discussing one of Dennis Villeneuve's most accessible and celebrated features, Arrival ! Topics: (PATREON EXCLUSIVE) 36-minutes of discussing Dave Hallahan's podcast The Gospel According To, their wide-variety of subject matter, the pursuit of media literacy, and the wonder of curation. (PATREON EXCLUSIVE) Dave shares about his podcast The Gospel ...
Mar 12, 2024•1 hr 33 min•Season 1Ep. 179
Send us a Question! MOVIE DISCUSSION: @terrorificlady Brandy, the Terrorific Lady herself, joins Melvin to discuss one of John Carpenter's more offbeat entries into the world of cinema, Prince of Darkness ! From the combination of religion and science, to discussions on cosmic, otherworldly fears, and even fun comparisons to the other two films in Carpenter's soft "Apocalypse Trilogy", Brandy and Melvin discuss all sorts of topics within this fun, brisk episode! Topics: (PATREON EXCLUSIVE) 33-mi...
Mar 05, 2024•54 min•Season 1Ep. 178
Send us a Question! PATREON PARTY PLEASER: This movie was selected by our Patreon Supporters over at the Cinematic Doctrine Patreon . Support as little as $3 a month and have your voice heard! Shirleon and Melvin travel back a whopping thirty years to summarize The Mighty Ducks , the early 90's hockey trilogy-starter! What a throwback! From simple-yet-compelling characters to an outright scumbag of a villain, The Mighty Ducks sure offered a lot to discuss! Tune in now! Quack Quack! Topics: (PATR...
Feb 27, 2024•1 hr 23 min•Season 1Ep. 177
Send us a Question! MOVIE DISCUSSION: @TylerBanarkReviewsMovies Tyler Banark from @TylerBanarkReviewsMovies joins Melvin to discuss one of his favorite films of 2022, The Menu ! Combining culinary arts with cultish antics, this horrific thriller showcases excellent performances, delicious food, and class-warfare all in a tight 107-minutes! And there's a whole lot more where that came from! Tune in now! Topics: (PATREON EXCLUSIVE) 32-minutes recapping David Zaslav's two years as Warner Bros. Disc...
Feb 20, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Season 1Ep. 176
Send us a Question! PARTY PLEASER: Shirleon joins Melvin in summarizing Chris Columbus' return to the YA genre, Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief ! From an ill-defined protagonist to it's swiftly resolved mile-a-minute narrative hurdles, this late-stage entry into the world of YA-movie adaptions tries its darndest to make it out alive. Will Shirleon and Melvin find something to appreciate in the end? Tune in to find out! Topics: (PATREON EXCLUSIVE) 31-minutes discussing a ne...
Feb 13, 2024•1 hr 30 min•Season 1Ep. 175
Send us a Question! MOVIE DISCUSSION: Kathryn joins Melvin in discussing one of Wes Anderson's most celebrated films, The Royal Tenenbaums . The two enjoy discussing it's silly-yet-serious family drama, the effects of negligent parenting, and the absurdity of that scene involving a pop-song and a bathroom mirror. But most of all, the two enjoy discussing the idea that it's never too late to do the right thing. Topics: (PATREON EXCLUSIVE) 20-minutes discussing Asteroid City , Wes Anderson's lates...
Feb 06, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 174
Send us a Question! PATREON MOVIE DISCUSSION: This movie was selected by our Patreon Supporters over at the Cinematic Doctrine Patreon . Support as little as $3 a month and have your voice heard! Shirleon joins Melvin in discussing this month's Patron-Pick, On Golden Pond ! This Oscar-winning feature stars Katherine Hepburn, Henry Fonda, and Jane Fonda in a complex-yet-comedic tale of old-age, generational trauma, and the endurance of love. Tune in to hear the two discuss all manner of topics fr...
Jan 30, 2024•1 hr 16 min•Season 1Ep. 173
Send us a Question! PATREON PARTY PLEASER: This movie was selected by our Patreon Supporters over at the Cinematic Doctrine Patreon . Support as little as $3 a month and have your voice heard! Shirleon joins Melvin in summarizing one of the single most hated western adaptions of an anime to date: Death Note from Adam Wingard! From sporadic over-the-top violence to an extremely emotional protagonist, Death Note was a Hollywood picture a long-time coming, and while it's soured as a classic example...
Dec 26, 2023•1 hr 30 min•Season 1Ep. 172
Send us a Question! MOVIE DISCUSSION: Kathryn joins Melvin in discussing an early English adaption of George Orwell's ground-breaking, genre-defining, and highly-influential novel Nineteen Eighty-Four . In this semi-live BBC rendition, one whose controversy is as historic as it is ironic, Kathryn and Melvin discuss not only the impact of this adaption but also the debilitating hopelessness and powerful insight that only Nineteen Eighty-Four can offer. Topics: (PATREON EXCLUSIVE) 16-minutes of Ka...
Dec 20, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 171
Send us a Question! MOVIE DISCUSSION: Melvin's wife Kathryn joins him for an episode discussing Eraserhead , David Lynch's off-beat absurdist film featuring cinema's favorite lil' baby! From encroaching industrialization to a wealth of understated humor, Eraserhead includes an extreme degree of themes and metaphors, and the two explore it all in this engaging and educational episode! Topics: (PATREON EXCLUSIVE) 28-minutes of Kathryn quizzing her husband Melvin on early childhood development and ...
Dec 12, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 170
Send us a Question! PARTY PLEASER: thereformedgamers.com Logan Sharp of The Reformed Gamers Podcast joins Melvin in summarizing the biggest horror hit of the year, Five Nights at Freddy's ! Despite failing to reach critics, Five Nights at Freddy's has decimated various box-office records, and the two talk about the video game franchise, it's oddly melancholic tone, and the extreme charisma of the Core Four themselves. Topics: ( FREE PATREON EXCLUSIVE) 38-minutes talking to Logan Sharp from The R...
Dec 05, 2023•1 hr 37 min•Season 1Ep. 169
Send us a Question! PATREON PARTY PLEASER: This movie was selected by our Patreon Supporters over at the Cinematic Doctrine Patreon . Support as little as $3 a month and have your voice heard! Shirleon joins Melvin in summarizing the late-90s Kenan & Kel hit, Good Burger ! From it's absurd burger-flippin' hijinks to Ed's silly antics, the two discuss the positives from the 90s aesthetic, the loss of entertainment complexes, and borger! Topics: (PATREON EXCLUSIVE) 37-minutes discussing what g...
Nov 28, 2023•1 hr 17 min•Season 1Ep. 168
Send us a Question! LET'S TALK: Melvin watched 10 shows on Quibi before its eventual (and predictable) collapse. First things first, Melvin asks Daniel what he thinks a show is about based on its marketing. Then, Melvin describes what it actually is. Afterward, Daniel curiously wonders, "How does this show being on Quibi improve the watching experience?". Throughout all of this, Melvin & Dan try to understand Quibi's failure to solidify its target demographic, and further complain about how ...
Nov 21, 2023•1 hr 25 min
Send us a Question! LET'S TALK: Melvin watched 10 shows on Quibi before its eventual (and predictable) collapse. First things first, Melvin asks Daniel what he thinks a show is about based on its marketing. Then, Melvin describes what it actually is. Afterward, Daniel curiously wonders, "How does this show being on Quibi improve the watching experience?". Throughout all of this, Melvin & Dan explore the grand what-ifs of Quibi like interactive shows, a social media for film a la Letterboxd, ...
Nov 14, 2023•58 min
Send us a Question! LET'S TALK: Melvin guides Daniel through his Quibi-venture, an exploration of that weird, less-than-one-year-old mobile-only streaming service that came and went in 2020. From it's lead cheerleaders of Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman, to how Quibi convinced nearly every production company in Hollywood to invest over $1.75 Billion, as well as those obscenely confusing and downright worthless advertising spots during the Superbowl, Melvin covers everything he can about Quibi...
Nov 07, 2023•1 hr 33 min
Send us a Question! PATREON PARTY PLEASER: This movie was selected by our Patreon Supporters over at the Cinematic Doctrine Patreon . Support as little as $3 a month and have your voice heard! Ant Coughlin, a pastor, joins Melvin in summarizing The VelociPastor . Because, of course! The two goof and gaff about this off-beat love-letter to 80's schlock grindhouse horror, and appreciate it's comedically dense yet economically handled runtime! Topics: (PATREON EXCLUSIVE) 1-hour discussing Dan Foste...
Oct 31, 2023•56 min•Season 1Ep. 167
Send us a Question! PARTY PLEASER: Melvin is joined by Shirleon yet again to discuss Haunted Mansion (2015) , a movie that has literally no correlation to The Haunted Mansion or Haunted Mansion (2023) ! Yes, this movie was picked solely because it shares a name with the other movies. We think that's kind of funny! But don't worry; there are more similarities between this haunted mansion and the Disney Haunted Mansion, too! Tune in to find out! Topics: (PATREON EXCLUSIVE) 40-minutes discussing wa...
Oct 24, 2023•1 hr 26 min•Season 1Ep. 165
Send us a Question! PARTY PLEASER: Melvin's sister Shirleon joins him on a journey through Disney's latest attempt at making a Haunted Mansion movie. While summarizing Haunted Mansion (2023) , the two commentate on what makes this Summer Not-buster awkwardly divisive. Topics: (PATREON EXCLUSIVE) 30-minutes discussing neat trivia about various Haunted Mansion rides across the globe, their inception, and Shirleon Sharron's mini-review of the 2003 Eddie Murphy The Haunted Mansion film (PATREON EXCL...
Oct 17, 2023•1 hr 24 min•Season 1Ep. 165
Send us a Question! LET'S TALK: Melanie & Melvin dive into one of the most beloved holiday musicals, The Nightmare Before Christmas , alongside two similar features Corpse Bride and Frankenweenie ! What connects these films? Why, it's Tim Burton of course! Through varying degrees of involvement, each feature captures the iconography of this Hollywood titan, and the two discuss each film individually while celebrating their unique quirks and perks! (PATREON EXCLUSIVE) 10-minutes of various ta...
Oct 10, 2023•1 hr 12 min
Send us a Question! PARTY PLEASER: Melanie & Melvin travel back to the early 2000's to summarize the family-friendly cult-classic Disney Adult horror film The Haunted Mansion ! From enjoying detailed sets to the generally fun aesthetic of a haunted house, the two kick off Halloween Month with excitement and laughs! Topics: (PATREON EXCLUSIVE) 33-minutes continuing their discussion on modesty (which started in the previous episode) and looking into two passages from 1 Corinthians for some bib...
Oct 03, 2023•1 hr 20 min•Season 1Ep. 164
Send us a Question! PATREON MOVIE DISCUSSION: This movie was selected by our Patreon Supporters over at the Cinematic Doctrine Patreon . Support as little as $3 a month and have your voice heard! In this episode, Melanie & Melvin are discussing The Mummy (1999) ! Branden Frasier is back in the mix with his popular Oscar-winning performance in The Whale , but we're traveling back over two-decades to a time long ago; one of adventure, excitement, and endless sand! Topics: (PATREON EXCLUSIVE) 5...
Sep 26, 2023•59 min•Season 1Ep. 163
Send us a Question! MOVIE DISCUSSION: Melanie & Melvin talk at length about Akira Kurosawa's worldwide phenomena, Rashomon . From it's forward-feeling filmmaking and pacing to it's gripping drama, Rashomon continues to be in conversation for it's layered entertainment and deep contemplation. And, of course, they also talk about the immensely disruptive nature of lying. Topics: (PATREON EXCLUSIVE) 32-minutes discussing Vulture's " The Decomposition of Rotten Tomatoes " article from September ...
Sep 19, 2023•54 min•Season 1Ep. 162
Send us a Question! MOVIE DISCUSSION: Melanie introduces Melvin to another long-standing classic drama, Good Will Hunting , and the joy had in overcoming toxic traits of the male psyche! Topics: (PATREON EXCLUSIVE) 25-minutes of Melanie & Melvin playing "Would You Rather?" with some of the most absurd options available! Even so, it leads to some great real-talk about first-impressions, the resilience of the human body, and the fear of losing their memories. (PATREON EXCLUSIVE) Melanie propos...
Sep 12, 2023•58 min•Season 1Ep. 161
Send us a Question! PARTY PLEASER: Melanie & Melvin continue their adventure through the popular Hunger Games saga with Mockingjay - Part 1 ! They describe the movie from beginning to end, exploring themes of repressed individuality amidst cultural responsibility, and also observe how the film very much feels like half of a book (because it is!). Topics: (PATREON EXCLUSIVE) 36-minutes discussing the danger of idolizing storytelling, and how the recent news regarding Michael Oher's potential ...
Sep 05, 2023•1 hr 22 min•Season 1Ep. 160
Send us a Question! PATREON PARTY PLEASER: This movie was selected by our Patreon Supporters over at the Cinematic Doctrine Patreon . Support as little as $3 a month and have your voice heard! Melanie & Melvin travel back to the wonderful world of 2004 and summarize Barbie as The Princess and the Pauper . While it isn't the first Barbie-animated film, it is the first Barbie-animated musical! From it's bouncing musical numbers to its surprisingly complicated plot, the gang have fun explaining...
Aug 29, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 159
Send us a Question! MOVIE DISCUSSION: Melanie & Melvin discuss David Cronenberg's Scanners , a contemplative psychological horror with intense bookends! From the film's odd casting to its heady-concepts of individual thought and sovereignty, the two discuss what makes Scanners a worthwhile watch for those searching for a little bit more in their thrillers! Topics: (PATREON EXCLUSIVE) 36-minutes further discussing Wall·E , specifically the film's focus on the transcendental nature of love. (P...
Aug 22, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Season 1Ep. 158
