Folks, it's that time of year again when the Hallmark movie channel really shines. The rest of the year they try to bring it with other seasonal-themed, predictable plot-lined love stories, but many of us just scroll on by as we flip around for something else to watch. But it takes a real Scrooge to resist the power of a Christmas-themed Hallmark romance. Other stations try to compete and some of them do a fine job, even stealing away headlining actors from the Hallmark channel (I'm looking at y...
Dec 19, 2022•1 hr 10 min
If you're one of those people currently hating on James Gunn over some of the puzzling moves he's making at Warner Brothers (specifically that big one regarding Henry Cavill) set aside your feelings for a moment and let your holiday spirit shine. Join Gretchen and Dennis as they break down "The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special" now streaming on Disney+. Do it for Earth's mightiest hero, Kevin Bacon.
Dec 19, 2022•37 min
Just as Gretchen and Dennis have given up hope on "A Christmas Story" sequels, they finally get to the one that inspired them to embark on this deep dive -- "A Christmas Story Christmas", starring Peter Billingsley as Ralphie, now available to stream on HBOMax. And wonder of all wonders, you won't want to shoot your eye out after watching it!!!
Dec 14, 2022•1 hr 6 min
HBOMax has recently released a sequel to "A Christmas Story", called "A Christmas Story Christmas." Did you know that there was already a sequel to "A Christmas Story"? Well, if you've been listening to MurdurDurdur Pod, you know that there have actually been a few. But there was legitimately a straight up Christmas themed sequel released in 2012, entitled "A Christmas Story 2" and Gretchen and Dennis watched and reviewed it right here for you!
Dec 14, 2022•31 min
Ralphie Parker is back in a second sequel to "A Christmas Story" - "Ollie Hopnoodle's Haven of Bliss." If you've never heard of this little gem, you are not alone! Some time has passed and Ralphie has grown into a teenager and is no longer played by Peter Billingsley (or Kieran Culkin-- he's played by Jerry O'Connell! Join Dennis and Gretchen as they recap Ralphie's/Ralph's trials and tribulations during the summer he turned 14, when his family's annual vacation to Ollie Hopnoodle's Haven of Bli...
Dec 05, 2022•37 min
In "My Summer Story", the first sequel to "A Christmas Story", Ralphie Parker dreams of finding a killer top to take on new school bully, Lug, while his Dad wars with his nextdoor neighbors and his mom overcomes a dish debacle. Ralphie also experiences the ups and downs of fishing for the first time. Gretchen and Dennis discuss if "My Summer Story" embodies the spirit of "A Christmas Story" and whether or not follow up movies should exist.
Dec 05, 2022•40 min
Many years ago, Dennis declared that as soon as Santa makes his appearance at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade the Christmas celebration officially commences (at least in our living quarters). We're going to apply that same rule to the podcast. Although this year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade seemed to be a bit more about the Queen of Christmas than the big guy in red, we definitely saw him for a minute there at the end, so Christmas season it is! We're kicking it off with a CLASSIC. Join G...
Nov 30, 2022•50 min
Other than the Pilgrim Sandwich, the annual Turkey Bowl might just be the best Thanksgiving tradition ever, so we couldn't pass up the chance to watch and review a movie called "The Turkey Bowl", right? Especially once we found out that it stars some of our favorite actors, one from a show that we've previously covered on this very podcast. The big question is, now that we've seen it, will watching "The Turkey Bowl" become a part of our annual Thanksgiving tradition? Listen to find out!
Nov 24, 2022•54 min
It's Thanksgiving, it's a classic and it's streaming on Apple TV. If you haven't seen it before, what are you waiting for? You should be watching it every year! Take a stroll down memory lane with Gretchen and Dennis or enjoy it for the first time -- you can't go wrong with "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" -- and a Happy Thanksgiving to all!!
Nov 24, 2022•27 min
Murdur Durdur Pod has been on a bit of hiatus due to some technical difficulties, but we're back. This review of "Morbius" was meant to be part of a series of darker movies for Halloween, but as it's being released as an after Halloween Halloween movie review, think of it as more of a Thanksgiving appetizer. There's always some time over a holiday break for a little comic book movie action.
Nov 24, 2022•1 hr 12 min
It's the final episode of Season 1 of Amazon Prime's "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power", Episode 8 "Alloyed", and Gretchen and Dennis still don't understand all of the hate. Join them as they recap all of the final moments and plead their case as to why this was a solid season finale.
Oct 18, 2022•1 hr 15 min
What happens after Cheeto dust pours down over Middle Earth? Not a whole lot. In an episode where arguably very little happens to progress the story, our hosts have quite a lot to say about the direction the characters are headed and what might happen in the final episode. Tune in as Gretchen and Dennis recap Amazon Prime's "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" Season 1, Episode 7, "The Eye".
Oct 13, 2022•1 hr 27 min
The Battle Begins! And Ends! And Begins? Join Gretchen and Dennis as they discuss the ups and downs of the action-packed Episode 6, "Udun" of Amazon Prime's "The Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power", Season 1. After a slow build in episodes 1-5, the action in this one moves at a frantic pace. Can our hosts keep pace with all of the sudden action and emotional highs and lows?
Oct 12, 2022•1 hr 5 min
In this episode of Murdur Durdur Pod, Gretchen and Dennis recap S1E5 of AmazonPrime's "The Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power", "Partings", in which the new power team finally assembles and prepares to leave Numenor, half of the watchtower gang parts ways to team up with the enemy, and Nori calls it quits with her new bestie. Its a bittersweet mix of hopefulness and hopelessness as we head into the back-half of the season, approaching episode 8 much too quickly.
Sep 27, 2022•1 hr 8 min
We've reached the halfway point of "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" on Amazon Prime with S1E4, "The Great Wave". Gretchen and Dennis attempt to accurately keep up with all the action, while correcting one pretty big blunder from the previous episode.
Sep 27, 2022•1 hr 20 min
"Adar", S1E3 of the AmazonPrime LOTR Series "The Rings of Power" introduces us to Numenor. Gretchen and Dennis break down all of the details of Galadriel and Halbrand's arrival there, as well as their meeting with Elendil. We learn the truth about Halbrand's history, the mark of the owl/Sauron, and the extent of the danger facing the Southland's. We also end with an exciting and unexpected theory about who the new villain might be!
Sep 12, 2022•1 hr 3 min
In this recap of "Adrift", Season 1 Episode 2 of Amazon Prime's "Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" series, Gretchen and Dennis follow along as Galadriel takes a dive in the ocean, Nori tries to talk to a stranger, Elrond endures some Dwarven hazing ritual and Arondir's tolerance of tight spaces is tested.
Sep 12, 2022•1 hr 7 min
Gretchen and Dennis boldly tackle the long-awaited Amazon Prime series "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power". Whether you loved it or hated it, you'll want to listen in as these two break it down, scene by scene, starting here with episode 1, "A Shadow of the Past".
Sep 08, 2022•1 hr 10 min
Gretchen and Dennis discuss the final episode, "America's Sweethearts or Time Over Time", of HBO Max's THE STAIRCASE series. They both reveal their ultimate verdict of where they land on Michael Peterson's guilt or innocence. You might be surprised by what you hear.
Aug 29, 2022•1 hr 11 min
In this episode of HBO Max's The Staircase, "Seek and Ye Shall Find", Dennis goes off on a few tangents, Gretchen confuses Martha and Margaret, and Gretchen and Dennis argue about the sexual details of the case (once again).
Aug 24, 2022•1 hr 19 min
Gretchen and Dennis break down Episode 6 of HBO Max's The Staircase, "Red in Tooth and Claw". Finally, Dennis gets to see the owl theory re-enacted and Gretchen gets some closure on her open/un-used condom theory.
Aug 08, 2022•1 hr 5 min
It's Sophie vs. Denis vs. Jean in Episode 5, "The Beating Heart" of HBO Max's The Staircase. Gretchen and our Dennis take their own sides in the debate as to whether or not Sophie's role should have been included in The Staircase documentary. Plus, the Owl Theory is mentioned for the first time!
Aug 08, 2022•55 min
Just back from their family vacation, Gretchen and Dennis pick up where they left off with Episode 4, "Common Sense", of the HBO Max Staircase series. The verdict of the Michael Peterson case is revealed and although neither of them necessarily comes right out and makes a guilty/not-guilty vote, it is becoming pretty apparent how each of our hosts would have voted had they been members of the jury.
Aug 02, 2022•1 hr 17 min
It's Episode 3 of The Staircase, "The Great Dissembler" and Gretchen and Dennis are back to discuss it in great detail. Join them as the prosecution builds the case against Peterson. This is also the episode where a little detail in Germany that Michael forgot to mention to his lawyer surfaces (You found another woman at the bottom of the stairs?!) and we get to see what happens when Michael takes a trip to "Blockbuster".
Aug 02, 2022•1 hr 24 min
In this recap of episode 2 of HBO Max's The Staircase, "Chiroptera", Gretchen and Dennis continue to detail the events of Kathleen Peterson's death and the events that followed, as depicted in the dramatised version, as well as sharing the wealth of knowledge that they have amassed from other sources since their fascination with the case began. It's becoming abundantly clear that they both have opinions on the case and it might come as no surprise that their opinions are not the same.
Jul 12, 2022•1 hr 10 min
After a brief break, Gretchen and Dennis are back and they are talking about MURDUR. Or are they? In this episode of Murdur Durdur, our hosts recap Episode 1, "911" of HBO Max's dramatisation of the Kathleen and Michael Peterson story.
Jul 06, 2022•1 hr 16 min
In this episode of Murdur Durdur Pod, Gretchen and Dennis tackle a romantic comedy for the first time on the pod. It promises to offer something for both of them - Indiana Jones type adventure for Dennis; trashy romance novel goodness for Gretchen - plus an all-star cast. It's sure to be an instant classic for our hard-to-please hosts. Did I mention a Brad Pitt cameo? What more could anyone really want? Listen now to get their full rundown on "The Lost City", starring Sandra Bullock, Channing Ta...
Jun 22, 2022•53 min
Gretchen and Dennis complete their Jack Reacher marathon with a viewing of the second Tom Cruise Reacher film, "Jack Reacher: Never Go Back". It's safe to say that they're ready to move on from Reacher to something else by the time that this one is over.
Jun 14, 2022•1 hr 6 min
Now that they've finished Season 1 of the REACHER TV series on PrimeVideo, Gretchen and Dennis decided to check out the Tom Cruise movie versions of the Jack Reacher character to see how they compare. First up is 2012's "Jack Reacher". Once Gretchen recovers from her initial shock that the movie is filmed in Pittsburgh, the pair breaks down all the action, looking for Lee Child trademarks, more evidence to support whether or not Reacher qualifies as a superhero, and the moment when Reacher enjoy...
Jun 14, 2022•1 hr 2 min
It's a wrap on Season 1 of Reacher! In the final episode, called "Pie", Reacher finally gets his long awaited slice of peach. Sadly, it was not all he hoped it would be. Too bad there are no EatnParks in Margrave. Similarly disappointed is the ever-hard-to-please Dennis, since the series turned out not to be all that he hoped it would be, but Gretchen goes out on a Reacher high. Our two hosts bicker and banter it out in their regular style, working through the entire episode as each plot line is...
May 30, 2022•1 hr 3 min
