142 - Oscar

We can’t seem to stay away from movies where Sylvester Stallone is determined to prove to the world he can be funny. And you know what, OSCAR might just be ultimate proof of his comedic bonafides. Surrounded by a cast of titans - Marissa Tomei! Tim Curry! Chazz Palminteri! - Sly carries OSCAR through its delightfully convoluted plot like an absolute champ. And somehow this got a 12% on the Tomatometer??? Listen to Alex & Julio, joined by Ryan & Bartek from the SPIT & POLISH podcast, jumping in to defend Stallone’s finest hour!

Read More

141 - Baby Driver

It was bound to happen. Sooner or later, Edgar Wright was going to let style win over substance, and we were all going to pay the price. BABY DRIVER fooled critics with its hipster soundtrack and its attractive cast, managing to weasel itself toward a 92% Tomatometer score - and allowing its director to be celebrated for his most shallow effort yet. Listen to Alex and Julio as they refuse to be blinded by the cool cars and the pretty people - and take B-A-B-Y to task!

Read More

Bonus! - The Master

As the years have gone by, irresistible boy-wonder Paul Thomas Anderson has gone from being the cool guy who directed an ode to the porn industry to being the boring old man behind a period dramedy where Daniel Day Lewis put us all to sleep. Somewhere in between Boogie Nights and Phantom Thread lies THE MASTER, a pretentious, bloated, so-called “exposé” on Scientology that fooled critics into thinking it was great - even though nobody could really agree on what the movie was saying. Listen to Alex & Julio break down the mutually parasitic relationship between Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Joaquin Phoenix in PTA’s most overrated film!

Read More

140 - Pain & Gain

It’s so easy to make fun of Michael Bay, Filmmaking Bro Extraordinaire. On the other hand, it’s not so easy to fully engage with a truly challenging film in his oeuvre. Is PAIN & GAIN a misguided celebration of American stupidity, or a surprising cautionary tale about the dangerous allure of the American Dream? The Tomatometer can’t make up its mind, so it’s up to Alex & Julio to figure it out in yet another Gray Area battle!

Read More

139 - In the Cut

Sometimes actors take a left turn in their careers and it pays off wonderfully, with award nominations and a creative renaissance. Sometimes, IN THE CUT happens. Meg Ryan’s attempt to pivot from romantic comedies into erotic thrillers bombed hard, despite being helmed by acclaimed filmmaker Jane Campion, and despite co-starring a young, virile, mustached Mark Ruffalo. Listen to Alex and Julio as they praise this indie deep-dive into the perils of being a woman with a healthy sexual appetite in New York City!

Read More

Bonus! - Hancock

Simply put: 2008 is the year humanity failed cinema. Audiences & critics embraced vanilla superhero fare like IRON MAN and THE DARK KNIGHT, and then turned their nose up at a much more challenging take on the genre. Peter Berg’s HANCOCK gave us a hero we hadn’t seen before, played by a Will Smith we hadn’t seen before, and it was clearly too much for the world to process. Listen to Alex & Julio as they discuss the untapped potential of this maligned masterpiece - a work of art that could’ve saved us from the current MCU and DCEU nightmares we’re living through.

Read More

138 - The Sixth Sense

Our Shyamalanthology comes to a close by going back to where it all truly began. But does THE SIXTH SENSE hold up? Or is it just an early example of M. Night Shyamalan’s bad habits? Did he trick us into believing constant whispering equals good acting? What does Bruce Willis do in between scenes? And why hasn’t Toni Collette called an actual professional to help her son? Listen to Alex & Julio take on the movie that bought Shyamalan a lifelong “get out of film jail free” card!

Read More

137 - After Earth (2013)

You think we are cowards? We are not cowards! We will defend M. Night Shyamalan’s stripped-down sci-fi masterpiece AFTER EARTH even if most people don’t even remember it was an M. Night movie! Listen to Alex & Julio as they rave about this momentous passing of the torch between Will and Jaden Smith, and commend Shyamalan’s ability to fade into the background, letting his stars and their story shine. It’s part three of the Shyamalanthology!

Read More

Bonus! - Extinction (2018)

As we stare at the potential end to the era of multimillion-dollar blockbusters, we take a break from The Shyamalanthology to celebrate a medium-budget sci-fi adventure like EXTINCTION. Listen to Alex and Julio delve into the latest Patron Pick (thanks, Dan Brenic!) and ask tough questions such as: Why don’t we see Michael Peña in more leading roles? Why would a studio refuse to release this interracial mind-bender in theaters? And why must all roads lead to humanity repeating the same mistakes time and again?

Read More

136 - Signs

When SIGNS originally premiered back in 2002, we were all under the spell of M. Night Shyamalan. The last true Mel Gibson blockbuster coasted on lots of good will earned by The Sixth Sense & Unbreakable, despite making very little sense. But what does Shyamalan’s third movie look like in the year 2021? Listen to Alex & Julio try to answer that question as they wonder if M. Night truly believes everything happens for a reason, puzzle over a bizarre Michael Showalter cameo, and discuss their frustrations with Shyamalan’s increasing on-camera participation! It’s part two of the Shyamalanthology!

Read More