Episode 103: Idiots

When a movie has a title like Idiots, you go in wondering if you should even bother to see it. Writer/director Macon Blair wanted to make a comedy about two hapless losers who get hired to transport a delinquent rich kid to rehab. On its face, that seems like a strong premise for all kinds of hijinx, but what we get instead is just not funny, and that’s a real problem for a comedy. To be fair, there were a couple of dudes in the theater who really seemed to enjoy the show, but they may have been operating on a HIGHER plane.

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Episode 104: The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas

The world lost a truly wonderful spirit this week. We do our best to give Dolly Parton a film tribute by watching The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. It’s hard to explain how a film about Texas sex workers can be turned into a wholesome musical, but that’s the magic of Dolly. There are some great performances throughout, but Charles Durning stands out as the dancing/singing governor of Texas. He almost steals the entire show. Tina gives us all a Dolly history lesson, while Stratis covers the real story this movie is based on. Dolly’s singing and acting were a huge contribution to the world’s happiness, but don’t forget about the free books she gives to kids through her Imagination Library. Dolly, we will miss you.

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Episode 102: Tony

Tony is the superhero origin story for one of the culinary world’s greatest personalities, Anthony Bourdain. Dominic Sessa plays Tony, who spends the two-hour runtime sulking in the corner of every room he enters. He’s a sad, scrawny little guy, and that’s normally all Tina needs to enjoy a film, but this one just doesn’t deliver. Somehow they missed all the charisma and personality that Bourdain's fans know from his many shows and books. Stratis didn’t have much good to say either. We did learn how to shuck an oyster, so that’s something.

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Episode 101: The End of Oak Street

Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor take us back to the ’80s, but then they get flung straight into the Jurassic age in this time-traveling wormhole of a movie. Tina and Stratis discuss the important question of whether dinosaurs are red or white meat and how these weird sci-fi movies are just metaphors for the ills of humanity. Given that this movie had both wormholes and dinosaurs, you would think that would have been enough to pull Stratis in, but he still wanted more, while Tina was totally checked out. How much more does a filmmaker need to make us happy? Oh, yeah, maybe a solid ending wouldn’t hurt. So if you’re in the mood for a Jurassic Park meets Back to the Future movie, maybe go watch them instead.

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Episode 100: One Night Only

This is our one hundredth episode and we couldn’t be happier. If you ask Google AI about this podcast, it says, “Tina provides professional critical insight, while Stratis offers hilariously candid, unfiltered reactions.” Who can argue with an algorithm?

As for this week’s movie, if you’ve ever wondered what a rom com would be like in a dystopian world where sex was illegal except for one day of the year, this one’s for you. One Night Only is a mash-up of Sleepless in Seattle and Logan’s Run, with Fingernails thrown in for some sci-fi techno fun. We have very different opinions about how much of a romantic comedy this is, and at least one of us wanted the lead male actor, Callum Turner, to spend more time learning how to toss a pizza. Let’s see who the true romantic really is!

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Episode 99: Spider-Man: Brand New Day

We’re back in the world of superheroes, and this time we aren’t talking about the Odyssey. Spider-Man: Brand New Day lets us fly through the canyon walls of NYC better than any thrill ride does. Guess which one of us just doesn’t care? It’s Tina, and she spends much of our ride wishing superhero movies would do more than just retell the same old stories. She’s seen it all before and blames Hollywood for not investing enough in unique takes on this genre. And she’s still upset about the last Supergirl movie. Stratis, like the rest of the audience, was just having a great time.

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Episode 98: Her Private Hell

Have you been searching for hours of experimental cinema filled with colorful lights and shadows and not much else? If so, director Nicolas Winding Refn has made the perfect movie for you – Her Private Hell. It’s two hours of confusing artistic cinema with some daddy issues thrown in for fun. Tina tries to explain this “masterpiece” to Stratis, but all he got out of it was his new critic’s slogan: It’s a piece of moving art. He thought that was original, but it’s NOT. The actors and the composer were totally committed to Refn’s vision, making this a textured experience. You’ll have to decide if you’re the right person to enjoy this film, but we definitely had some issues.

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Episode 97: The Odyssey

The Greeks are back, BABY! Director and writer Christopher Nolan takes on the epic retelling of Homer's The Odyssey, and Stratis is all in. Tina, on the other hand, wasn’t convinced. She thought Nolan didn’t get "freaky" enough with the classic and had some serious notes on casting. Actually, we both had issues with the casting, but we were in total agreement on Agamemnon’s bronze vertebrae helmet. What a work of art. Somebody should get an Oscar for that. Lastly, how did Nolan make a movie about ancient Greeks without putting even one Greek actor somewhere in the epic film?

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