The final round of Crooked Table Podcast episodes -- prior to the rebranding, at least -- continues. And of course, we had to tap into the red-headed step-child of Marvel Comics movies: 1986's Howard the Duck. The first full-length movie based on a Marvel character, the movie was an infamous box office and critical disaster? But have its feathers been unjustly ruffled? Jamie Williams returns to the show to help us break down Howard the Duck. We'll discuss the movie's reputation, how it affected ...
May 31, 2021•1 hr
For years, CinemaSins has taken the movies to task with its popular videos cheekily tackling "everything wrong with" the movies. However, with billions of views and millions of subscribers, even critics can't deny the success of CinemaSins. Jeremy Scott -- the YouTube channel's co-founder and the "voice of CinemaSins" -- has found the perfect outlet for his passion for cinema. Now fans of Jeremy's irreverent "takedowns" of Hollywood hits discover the story of how he developed his love for movies...
May 17, 2021•50 min
Few films released in the 21st century have as universal a reputation as David Lynch's 2001 thriller Mulholland Drive. To that end, a celebration of the film and its 20th anniversary hardly qualifies as "the world of film from a fresh angle." Yet, the movie's surrealistic tone and multi-layered tale likely flew under the radar for some mainstream moviegoers. So listen in as returning guest Albert Lanier lays out what he believes to be the "Lynch pin" to understanding Mulholland Drive. In this ep...
Feb 09, 2021•1 hr 38 min
Come one, come Al! After 2020, things were bound to get weird. So we kick off 2021 with the only logical episode: "Weird Al" Yankovic's one and only big-screen starring role, 1989's cult comedy UHF. Lauren Carey of the Beer'd Al Podcast joins the show to talk about the film's legacy, its impact on Al's career, and whether UHF is an effective entry point for new fans. So don't change the channel. And don't touch that dial. This week, the Crooked Table Podcast has got it all on UHF. SYNOPSIS After...
Feb 01, 2021•1 hr 15 min
It ends tonight. Yup, it's time for part 2 of our discussion on The Matrix sequels. Jackson Smith is back to talk The Matrix Revolutions. After the Matrix-y hijinks of its predecessor, this third chapter takes a more "real world" approach. But does it deliver a satisfying close to the trilogy? We'll get to all that -- and Hugo Weaving's hammy AF performance -- in the ultimate The Matrix Revolutions discussion. SYNOPSIS In a dystopia overrun by robots, Neo (Keanu Reeves), mankind's greatest hope,...
Jan 01, 2021•1 hr 14 min
As we catch up with the remaining chapters of The Matrix trilogy, it seemed like the perfect time to share a bit of bonus content. This episode features a collection of outtakes recorded during our two-part, 100th episode extravaganza on The Matrix with guest Freddy Yaniz. Until now, this bonus episode was only available to Patreon subscribers. But now as a holiday season treat, we provide it here in the main feed. Stay plugged in for more bonus content in 2021, and check back soon for part 2 of...
Dec 25, 2020•33 min
The Matrix has you (again). In this first half of our two-part discussion on the sequels, Jackson Smith -- our own Agent Smith, so to speak -- joins the show to examine The Matrix Reloaded. We'll cover whether the movie is a smooth transition from the first film, its wild action sequences, and why even its haters need to pay The Matrix Reloaded a revisit now. SYNOPSIS Freedom fighters Neo (Keanu Reeves), Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), and Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) continue to lead the revolt ag...
Dec 22, 2020•1 hr 55 min
It all ends (finally). But now Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 has brought the saga of The Boy Who Lived to an appropriately epic conclusion. Guest Ryan McQuade returns to the show to help us bid farewell to Harry, Ron, Hermione, and She-Who-Must-Not-Be Named with our very last episode on the Harry Potter series. Coming in 2021: we enter the ring with Sylvester Stallone, Michael B. Jordan, and the Rocky franchise! SYNOPSIS A clash between good and evil awaits as young Harry (Daniel R...
Dec 15, 2020•2 hr 1 min
Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol has to be one of the most adapted literary works of all time. But the story of Ebenezer Scrooge has never been told quite like this. Bill Murray leads a "modern" take on Dickens' work in 1988's Scrooged. And Kim Stock Foster brings the holiday classic to the Table to explain why the movie's poignant message and comedic sensibility makes Scrooged her favorite Christmas movie. SYNOPSIS In this modern take on Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," Frank Cross (Bill...
Dec 10, 2020•1 hr 13 min
Nowadays, martial arts feel like a distinct part of the fabric of Hollywood action movies. But that wasn't always the case. In fact, if not for Bruce Lee and his iconic 1973 hit Enter the Dragon, the state of the entertainment industry might look a whole lot different. Robert Dean joins the show to take a look at how Enter the Dragon has held up since its release. We'll discuss how influential the movie has proven to be, how it captures Lee's own personal philosophy, and whether it would have ki...
Nov 25, 2020•50 min
2020 is nearing a close. And with it, the Crooked Table Podcast is almost finished with its ill-timed deep dive into the Harry Potter franchise. In 2010's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, the stakes have never been higher. We knew a fresh perspective was required to deliver the exciting, frank conversation this series of episodes needs. And so Lyndsey Cole joins the show to break down whether this penultimate Harry Potter adventure achieves the epic scope it aims for. We'll discuss w...
Nov 25, 2020•1 hr 30 min
When the podcast relaunched in December 2018 , it did so with the goal of bringing new voices -- and therefore a wide range of movies -- to the forefront. That's certainly the case with this episode, which highlights the unjustly forgotten 1954 release Salt of the Earth. The movie has since fallen into the public domain and is available to watch on YouTube. Rosa Parra of Latinx Lens joins the show to discuss why Salt of the Earth is such a vital part of cinema history. We'll discuss how the movi...
Nov 25, 2020•1 hr 10 min
Even though we just covered Hamilton in our first-ever Crooked Roundtable , we're not quite ready to move on from musicals just yet. So this episode, we're discussing one of the most beloved big-screen musicals of all time: 1952's Singin' in the Rain starring Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, and Debbie Reynolds. Ryan McQuade returns to the show to help us break down why Singin' in the Rain is such a joyous and unforgettable experience. We'll discuss the behind-the-scenes drama, how the film comments...
Nov 10, 2020•1 hr 37 min
We were willing to wait for it. Now the time has finally come to cover the Disney+ release of Hamilton. But how best to commemorate the "ten-dollar Founding Father without a father"? Surely, with the pop cultural impact of Lin-Manuel Miranda's Tony-winning musical, we wouldn't be satisfied with just another regular episode. Instead, we assembled a panel of epic Hamilfans to blow our listeners away. In our first-ever Crooked Roundtable discussion, Michael Hinman , Candace Kaw , Mandy Lake , and T...
Nov 02, 2020•2 hr 22 min
It's the most terror-filled time of the year. This episode, we're taking a look at one of the most influential horror films of the 2000s: James Wan's 2004 release Saw. In addition to seven (soon-to-be eight) sequels, the film kickstarted Wan's directing career long before Insidious, The Conjuring, Furious 7, and Aquaman. But is Saw just a disposable bit of "torture porn" like so many of its imitators? Lucy Buglass joins the show to help us tear into that very question. We'll discuss how Saw serv...
Oct 27, 2020•1 hr 7 min
The end is drawing nearer as our ill-timed Harry Potter series trudges ahead. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince may opt for love-potion hijinks over grim flashbacks. But the movie still gives audiences a delightful turn by Oscar winner Jim Broadbent, potions galore, and a taste of the Harry-Dumbledore buddy movie we could have gotten instead. Kai Yaniz returns to the show after reading the books for the first time just a year ago. And she has some thoughts on how director David Yates adapts...
Oct 20, 2020•1 hr 51 min
Christian Bale might have played the Dark Knight for director Christopher Nolan. But his real superpower as an actor is his ability to play cold, emotionally detached characters such as American Psycho 's Patrick Bateman. And building off of that iconic performance, Equilibrium thrusts Bale full-on into dystopian sci-fi. But, y'know, with "gunkata." Returning guest Jon Cohorn previously brought the gun-toting martial arts of John Wick and the underrated sci-fi of Event Horizon to the Table. Now ...
Oct 13, 2020•1 hr 26 min
Long before Liam Neeson let the world know about his "very particular set of skills," he was Darkman. The cult classic from director Sam Raimi even predates Neeson's Star Wars and Batman Begins days. Yet, in many ways, it feels like it belongs to the initial comic book movie boom of the early 2000s. Kevin Smith joins the show to discuss why Darkman is such a well-kept secret, how it's a critical turning point for Raimi's career, and why Hollywood should dust off the franchise. We'll also cover O...
Oct 09, 2020•1 hr 19 min
The real-life political climate bleeds into the Wizarding World this week. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is very much a political commentary. So guest Amy Otero and I did our very best to stay focused on the movie at hand. As it turned out, neither of us realized just how relevant director David Yates' first Harry Potter movie would be. If Year Four represents Harry's loss of innocence, then this next film sees the boy wizard and his friend brave the dark and complex real world for t...
Oct 01, 2020•1 hr 40 min
What comes to mind when you think of John Carpenter? Most people probably go straight to classic horror films like Halloween or The Thing. Or perhaps cult sci-fi thrillers such as Escape from New York and They Live. The point is, we're willing to bet few would think Carpenter had a romantic sci-fi drama in him. And yet Starman exists. Starring Jeff Bridges and Karen Allen -- who we just covered in our Raiders of the Lost Ark episode -- the 1984 release barely broke even at the box office. Yet, i...
Sep 23, 2020•1 hr 12 min
After spending all of 2019 covering the Star Wars saga, we finally crack the whip on George Lucas' other beloved creation finally. Together with director Steven Spielberg and star Harrison Ford, Lucas created one of cinema's most iconic action heroes in Indiana Jones. That's right. This episode, it's all Raiders of the Lost Ark. Craig Price of Matinee Heroes joins the show to discuss that 1981 adventure film. And along the way, we'll discuss just about everything else about the Indiana Jones ser...
Sep 16, 2020•1 hr 28 min
Great Scott! It's time for the Crooked Table Podcast to go Back to the Future! We don't need money, fame, or even a flux capacitor to travel through the space-time continuum to discuss this classic. In fact, while we have the Delorean all fired up at 88mph, we'll even look back at director Robert Zemeckis' entire trilogy. Vanessa Taylor from The Geeky Waffle helps us tackle the original 1985 sci-fi comedy that introduced audiences to Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) and Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd)...
Sep 09, 2020•1 hr 38 min
After nearly three decades away from their breakthrough roles, Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter return for Bill and Ted Face the Music. Having previously covered Reeves' The Matrix and John Wick , there's no way we were going to pass up this most triumphant opportunity to pull off a Keanu hat trick. With the help of Chris Scalzo of The First Run podcast, we travel all the way back to 1989 to discuss Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. Then, before heading out of the Circuits of Time, we stop off at ...
Sep 01, 2020•1 hr 8 min
It's that time again as we charge through Platform 9 and 3/4 for another year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This month, we're taking a look at the fourth entry in the Harry Potter series, 2005's Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. As fans know, this is the entry where the stakes really kick into gear, propelling towards the inevitable conclusion. So to help us break down the pivotal installment of Harry's story, original Crooked Table Podcast co-host Freddy Yaniz joins us. We'l...
Aug 26, 2020•1 hr 29 min
After decades in the industry, Danny Trejo finally landed his first leading role in 2010. Directed by longtime Trejo collaborator Robert Rodriguez and Ethan Maniquis, the wild action movie served as the culmination of Trejo's career up to that point. And they called it Machete. Based on a fake trailer Rodriguez directed for Grindhouse -- his 2007 double feature with Quentin Tarantino -- Machete leans into exploitation and politically incorrectness with reckless abandon. And the film's effort in ...
Aug 19, 2020•1 hr 23 min
Many critics consider Paul Thomas Anderson one of the greatest living American auteurs. And with 2007's There Will Be Blood, Anderson proved he and Daniel Day-Lewis complement each other's distinctive skill sets. At least for some moviegoers. After all, Anderson's films aren't exactly mainstream crowd-pleasers. Enter 2017's Phantom Thread. A full decade after their first collaboration, Anderson and Day-Lewis reunited to tell the story of a meticulous dressmaker and the woman who changes his life...
Aug 11, 2020•1 hr 41 min
Over the years, Kai Yaniz has endured Scott Pilgrim vs. the World , The Room , and -- most infamously -- Cats . Now Rob finally makes time for our long-awaited Crooked Commentary of Can't Hardly Wait. The 1998 teen comedy was written and directed by Harry Elfont and Deborah Kaplan. And it also happens to be the perfect encapsulation of the late 1990s. Join Kai, Rob, and an ensemble cast of up-and-coming young actors for one wild and crazy night. It's Can't Hardly Wait! SYNOPSIS School's out, and...
Aug 08, 2020•1 hr 48 min
Last year, author and vocalist Lori London brought 1945's Christmas in Connecticut to the Table. Now she's back with another Barbara Stanwyck comedy, 1941's Ball of Fire. Featuring an Oscar-nominated lead performance and a screenplay co-written by Billy Wilder, director Howard Hawks' movie deserves to be rediscovered. Join Lori and I as we discuss how Ball of Fire captures the power of words, why Stanwyck is the perfect choice for the lead role, and how it holds up nearly 80 years after its rele...
Jul 28, 2020•1 hr 12 min
The Holocaust isn't exactly brimming with comedic potential. But in the right hands, the real-life horrors of World War II can serve a noble cause. In some cases, this harsh setting can underscore the futility of hate and the absurdity of prejudice. Such is the goal of this episode's movie, writer-director Taika Waititi's 2019 Oscar winner Jojo Rabbit. On her first appearance, Karen Peterson brought Bridget Jones's Diary to the Table. But we had a lot more ground to cover this time. We'll discus...
Jul 21, 2020•1 hr 49 min
Our year-long journey through the Harry Potter series continues with year three: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. After back-to-back installments from director Chris Columbus, the franchise finally spreads its wings. This is thanks, in large part, to the addition of future Oscar-winning filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity, Roma). Following our Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith episode, Jackson Smith returns for another fantasy threequel. We'll discuss how Cuarón builds on Columbus' foundatio...
Jul 14, 2020•1 hr 32 min