In this special Reel Phonies Spinoff, husband/wife duo and newly-minted Ghibli experts Joseph and Valerie take you on a journey through the Studio Ghibli catalog. Often described as Japanese Disney (and recently accessible on streaming through HBOMax), the Ghibli films are animated stories for all ages that weave fantastical tales of adventure, whimsy, and self-discovery. Whether you've seen some or none of these films, this guide will give you a basic rundown of each of the movies and what make...
Dec 01, 2020•53 min
From Ray to Imitation Game to Into The Wild, we love a good biopic that tells a comprehensive story of a fascinating life in a tight 2 hours. But there are still so many interesting folks whose stories have yet to be adapted to the big screen. This week we're looking at some overlooked biopics that we think are well-overdue for the Hollywood treatment.
Nov 18, 2020•54 min
From Back to the Future to Terminator to Bill and Ted, some of our favorite movies are time travel stories. Although it's fun to think about what would be possible with the ability to travel backward in time, each of these movies proposes it's own particular rules for how that might work. We break down some of the most famous time travel movies along with their own time travel logic and see at what point they break their own rules and whether that even matters.
Nov 12, 2020•58 min
The Mandalorian is back! Oscar Isaac as Moonknight! Jared Leto still exists! There's a lot to catch up on and we've got you covered for all the October entertainment news worth noting and, of course, the new season of The Mandalorian.
Nov 04, 2020•52 min
We're closing out our Halloween Horror for Cowards series with the classic John Carpenter masterpiece, The Thing. It's got Kurt Russell, an underrated Keith David, an almost unrecognizable Wilford Brimley, and a lot of squirmy, wet tentacles. Truly a monster movie that delivers on it's monster, this was a blast to watch and even more fun to talk about.
Oct 29, 2020•39 min
In our third foray into the horror genre this month, we're taking a look at the 1983 cult classic, Sleepaway Camp. It's a classic 80's slasher set in a campground with an unexpected ending. From questionable casting and costuming choices to impossible cookware to numerous plotholes, this film was a lot of fun to talk about even if not all of us enjoyed the viewing experience.
Oct 22, 2020•41 min
This week we're diving into Drew Goddard's meta-horror/comedy film The Cabin in the Woods. It's a film that feels very much like an Evil Dead ripoff and a sequel to The Office that spends most of its runtime explaining how those two can go together. It's more comedy than scares which makes it perfect for the cowards who do this podcast.
Oct 15, 2020•44 min
In our Halloween kickoff episode, we're watching Leigh Whannell's The Invisible Man to be frightened by a threatening, unseen presence and by how dang good Elizabeth Moss is at acting. It's an update to a classic movie monster that feels much scarier than it's original iteration. Join us through the month of October as we traumatize our feeble, wimpy brains with a new horror flick each week.
Oct 08, 2020•38 min
This week we're tackling Netflix's newest, family-friendly detective flick, Enola Holmes. We discuss Henry Cavill's antagonistic relationship to clothing, why Helena Bonham Carter is underrated, and an unexpected amount of Harry Potter.
Sep 30, 2020•36 min
We're back and catching up on the big news of the last few weeks. We got casting news on Marvel's She-Hulk series, updates to the future of DC streaming, and the first trailers for Denis Villeneuve's Dune, WandaVision, and The Mandalorian: Season 2.
Sep 24, 2020•56 min
We're catching up with all the notable entertainment news of the past few weeks. We take a moment to reflect on the tragic death of Chadwick Boseman and the legacy he's left behind. We also take a look at all the upcoming DC projects announced during their virtual Comic-Con including Suicide Squad, WW84 and Black Adam. And we just couldn't overlook discussing the little X-Men movie that could, New Mutants.
Sep 02, 2020•45 min
After failing to kill a very small, helpless Harry Potter in the first four films, Voldemort returns to kill a slightly more capable but similarly sized Harry 4 more times and just can not get it right. The kids are older, the color palette is darker, and Alan Rickman is sublime all the way through. We're talking the best and most curious bits of the latter half of the Harry Potter films and not even Emma Watson's acting can stifle our enthusiasm.
Aug 27, 2020•57 min
It must be super embarrassing to be a powerful wizard/dark lord and get thwarted at every turn by a child with bad eyesight. This week we're beginning the first phase of our Harry Potter revisit starting with Sorcerer's Stone through the one where Edward/Batman gets killed by Voldemort. Turns out these movies are a blast no matter how many times you watch them so join us as we hash out the best and worst of the Harry Potter franchise.
Aug 21, 2020•1 hr
With James Mangold's Indy film on the distant horizon, we thought we'd take a crack at the kind of Indiana Jones adventures we'd like to see on the big screen. We each bring our own spin on the franchise while incorporating all the best Indy elements: lost cities, cursed artifacts, punching Nazis, and, of course, Short Round.
Aug 12, 2020•52 min
After the unexpected success of the first Pirates film, Disney gave Gore Verbinski the reigns and a sack of cash to make something bigger, better, and more profitable. The two films that followed (Dead Man's Chest and At World's End) left audiences divided and never quite lived up to the original. We're taking a look back to see if maybe history has been a little too unkind to these two films and see if we can find the buried treasure in this franchise based on a 50 year old amusement park ride....
Jul 29, 2020•52 min
Taylor, I'mma let you finish but 2009 was not the best year for mainstream blockbuster movies. Transformers 2 dominated the domestic box office while Avatar was primed to reintroduce the world to 3D technology and simultaneously re-ruin it. But this year wasn't all bloated, big-budget buffoonery. From some underrated horror flicks to Duncan Jones' sci-fi masterpiece to Black Dynamite, there are plenty of great films from 2009 that deserve a little more attention.
Jul 22, 2020•44 min
As the entertainment world slowly gets its wheels turning again, we thought it would be a good time to check in on some movie and TV news that may have slipped under the radar over the last month or two. From James Mangold taking over Indy 5 to Bill & Ted 3 to Guillermo del Toro being attached to yet another new project, we're covering a lot of ground in our first installment of Quarantine Scuttlebutt.
Jul 15, 2020•38 min
The musical sensation that blew up the Broadway scene is now conveniently located on Disney+ to watch comfortably in your PJs. We take a look at Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda's groundbreaking and wildly popular musical about about a life of Alexander Hamilton and the founding fathers told through a hip hop-inspired soundtrack. But is it as good as it's hyped up to be? And is it better than Michael Bay's Transformers? Let's find out!
Jul 08, 2020•35 min
After The Matrix took over the world with its surprising synergy of leather, kung fu, and philosophy, many people were disappointed by the two follow-up efforts, The Matrix: Reloaded and The Matrix: Revolutions. But has history been overly harsh toward these movies? Join us as we revisit both Matrix sequels to see if they really are as bad as we remember or if this is another case of our expectations getting the best of us.
Jul 01, 2020•53 min
Sure, it got released on VOD but this is the closest to a big movie release we've had in what feels like forever! This week we're looking at Judd Apatow's King of Staten Island, the semi-autobiographical dramedy about a very Pete Davidson-like protagonist trying to get his life together. It's got Bill Burr, Marisa Tomei, and a lot of tattoos. But is it better than Transformers?
Jun 25, 2020•33 min
This week we want to look at the movies that left a lasting impact long after we left the theater. We're bringing you milestone movies: cinematic experiences that change the very way you view the world or sometimes yourself. From the first movie twist that broke your trust in storytelling structure all the way to movies that broaden your perspective of the people around you, these are movies that changed you.
Jun 17, 2020•54 min
Yeah, sure, the internet is all abuzz about the pending release of the Snyder Cut of Justice League. But don't you think Batman needs a break? Maybe Superman can warm the benches for a couple of years? With a rich stockpile of beloved characters, we want to shine the spotlight on some DC heroes that we think deserve a shot at the big screen. Here are a few pitches for the DC movies we think the world needs right now.
Jun 10, 2020•1 hr
It's the end of a millennium, The Matrix has stolen the collective imagination of America (along with a bunch of anime imagery), and Napster has both revolutionized music and royally pissed off Lars Ulrich. This year was such a hugely influential year for movies that even titles that weren't huge successes at the time have gone to become indisputable classics (e.g. Fight Club). We're determined dig even deeper to find some truly underrated and forgotten gems and party like Prince would have want...
Jun 04, 2020•56 min
With the announcement of the Snyder Cut of Justice League, we thought it would be a good time to revisit the original "Snyder Cut" - Batman v Superman: The Ultimate Edition. After a critical panning of the theatrical release of BvS, an additional 30 minutes of runtime were added to the "Ultimate" cut to add new storylines, new characters, and additional context. But is this cut really an improvement? And is it better than Transformers?
May 27, 2020•1 hr 10 min
It's been a little over 2 months since the world pumped the brakes on everything. But do not despair! Even if the theaters aren't open, we've got summer movies that you can enjoy from the comfort of your own home! Join us as we walk through the next three months of releases, discuss which films might have been better suited for VOD anyway, and predict which film might be the first to be released in an honest-to-goodness theater. It's Summer Movie Preview - Pandemic Edition!
May 21, 2020•44 min
The final season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars is out and we've been excited for any excuse to talk about it. Since 2008, this series has been delighting Star Wars fans by taking the bones George Lucas put in place with the prequels and expanding it into a fully-realized mythology of it's own. The final season looks to bring fans more of what they've come to love and put a cherry on top of this beloved series and we can't wait to dive into it with you!
May 05, 2020•56 min
To celebrate our own 100th episode, we're taking a look at some other notable 100th episodes of our favorite TV shows. As a historical benchmark in the TV industry, many series make an extra effort to do something special for #100 and some of them even stick the landing! Thanks for enabling us for the last two years and we will continue to compare all things to Michael Bay's Transformers until Paramount makes us stop!
Apr 29, 2020•39 min
What is a Jellicle cat? Why are they horrifying human/cat abominations? Who thought this was a good idea? This week we're taking on one of the strangest movies from 2019 in the Tom Hooper film adaptation of the beloved musical "Cats". It's a real trip, y'all, and an experience you are unlikely to forget.
Apr 22, 2020•55 min
We're going back in time to the year the iPhone became the greatest thing since sliced bread and diving into some movies that deserve a little more love and recognition. From a forgotten Stephen King masterpiece to one of the greatest modern westerns all the way to one of the strangest movies Samuel L. Jackson has ever been in, 2007 had some truly memorable pearls that are worth a second look.
Apr 15, 2020•49 min
From zombies to nuclear war to maybe even dragons, there are dozens of ways for the world to end and a few great movies about what happens next. Despite the grim subject matter, we've got a good smattering of drama, action, comedy, thrillers, and even a kids movie to distract you from one apocalypse with another one of your choosing.
Apr 08, 2020•50 min
