"The world isn't run by weapons anymore, it's run by little bits of data. It's all just podcasts" - Phil decides to sneak in a Robert Redford movie in honour of his passing by taking 1992's Sneakers off the shelf this week. Dave had not seen the movie before and found the performances to be enjoyable in a movie that keeps the audience engaged throughout. Phil recalls many watches on his own black box and finds that this is a great background movie to have on since at any point you jump in, you're bound to find something you like. We both wonder if the marketing of this movie led to it being underrated, underseen and under appreciated.
"Thank God its not a podcast detector or none of us would get in" - The stakes are high as Dave takes 1987's No Way Out off the shelf. Phil is shocked that he had never seen this movie before and is impressed by the twists and turns throughout. He also shares his Sean Young search history.. Dave was surprised to find this gem on a streaming service instead of his classic Gene section of his shelf. Both agree the film is underrated and you should tell your friends to watch it...I'm sure they will.
"It says... it says you're a dead podcast" - By popular demand Phil gets to take 1984's Friday the 13th - The Final Chapter (Part 4) off the shelf this week. Dave calls the audible and requests the next installment of Friday the 13th as he just could not wait to get back to Crystal Lake. He find the routine of the films to be wearing a little thin by now and with each movie, although recognizes the increased production value. Phil is excited to talk about what he thinks is one of the best in the franchise and when he thinks of this series of films, it is often this one.
"A new dimension in Podcast" - Halloween season continues as Phil takes 1982's Friday the 13th Part 3 off the shelf. After barely surviving part 2, Dave find the franchise to be at its nadir while the death toll rises, the performance quality and creativity falls. Despite this, is interested in what comes next. Phil recalls this movie being his favorite when he saw it but wonders exactly why that is the case. Almost nothing he remembers held up to this viewing but enjoys some of the kills and thinks that watching in 3D was a better experience. Both agree that the new theme song is awesome.
"I don't want to scare anyone, but I'm going to podcast straight about Jason. It's spooky season and Phil takes 1981's Friday the 13th Part 2 off the shelf. Dave reluctantly goes to Packanack Lodge, which rests on Crystal Lake. He questions his decision to watch more of these movies but engages with the movie a little more openly than the original. Phil find the cast of characters to be a little more enjoyable this time around, most notably, Amy Steel as Ginny and enjoys the attempt to elicit deeper sympathy in the characters as they have a very little more backstory. Neither of them can come up with a reason why Jason is even alive to bring the terror back in a sequel.
"I don't want your podcast" - Dave takes to the gridiron as he takes 1999's Varsity Blues off the shelf this week. Phil has never seen the movie before and is reminded that even in the hallowed year of 1999, some bad movies still were released. He finds the stereotypes too much to deal and performances that don't quite hit the mark. Dave remembers enjoying the movie upon release but doesn't think it lives up to his memory. While he enjoyed Jon Voight's performance but the character is too big to be believable.
"I think I need a podcast. I definitely need a long, slow podcast. It's time to sing and dance as Phil takes 1986's Little Shop of Horrors off the shelf this week. Dave isn't eager to have another musical but finds the production design and a couple of performances to make it worthwhile. He alwlso locks in the Francis Award. Phil, however, remembers loving the movie as a kid and thinks fondly of most of the songs but the puppet and miniature work is where this movie shines. He is happy to revisit and has been humming some tunes since the re-watch.
"Doctors say there is a 50/50 chance he'll podcast, though there is only a 10 percent chance of that" - Dave decides to bring the funny as he takes 1988's The Naked Gun off the shelf this week. Phil wonders how much of the references would be lost on today's viewers and is curious about anybody who is introduced to O.J. through this movie. Dave finds that the movie offers something for everyone's comedic sensibilities and both of them just laugh through the episode recalling the sheer amount of jokes.
"What does he do, this man you seek? - "He Podcasts" - It's another winner of the "Big Five" this week as Phil takes 1991's The Silence of the Lambs off the shelf. He remembers seeing this movie at a pretty young age and finding it more of a thriller than a horror movie but loved that a movie with such subject matter was winning so many Oscars. Dave had never seen the movie before but, of course, knew some of the themes and moments as they have lived well beyond the film. Even a cameo from his favorite security guard as Buffalo Bill.
"Remember, Podcast is a good thing, maybe the best of things and no good thing ever dies." - Dave keeps us locked up as he takes 1997's Shawshank Redemption off the shelf this week. One of the most popular movies ever made that does just about everything right to get an audience to love it. Phillip remarks how the emotional strings co tongue to get pulled and doesn't mind. Dave wonders why he hasn't seen this movie more but, in the end, doesn't really connect to the overall strength of the film.
"Mmmmmm, podcast." Phil takes a trip to the "nuthouse" as he grabs 1975's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest off the shelf. We discuss the great performances and Louise Fletcher's ability to get us to hate such a seemingly nice person. Dave enjoys the casr of characters and how he recognized most of them from other things while Phil remembers how his heart sank as the story culminates..
"Oooh, ahhh, that's how it always starts. Then later there's running and podcasting" - Luckily for us there is Site B as Dave takes 1997's The Lost World: Jurassic Park off the shelf this week. Phil is fired up and offended at the precipitous drop in quality from one movie to the other. Turning Malcom from scientist to hero, from co-star to lead hurts the movie and the rest of the film fails to bring anything new to the table; except maybe the cast. New faces doing what may be their worst work. Dave, for a brief period, enjoyed this one more than the original! We'll dig into why.
"Welcome to Jurassic Podcast" - It's time to get prehistoric as Dave takes 1993's Jurassic Park off the shelf this week. Phil remembers the time he went to see the movie in theatres only to find out it was sold out. Lamentably, he only experienced it on VHS later and has since upgraded to 4K. Dave remembers that he wasn't able to see it later until later. A rare movie where both Phil and Dave enjoy almost every aspect of the filmmaking, performance and score. There are few films better than this.
"Just when you thought it was safe to listen to a podcast" - Phil takes to the beach as he grabs 1978's Jaws 2 off the shelf this week. The summer is here and it's a great opportunity to talk about the first sequel to one of the greatest movies ever. Phil remembers finding this movie to be a failure in almost every way when he first saw it. Bland characters, boring scenes and poor special effects, however, he is somewhat turned around on this most recent watch. The characters are still bland and some scenes are still boring but the effects are better than he remembered. Dave thought the shark looked better than the original shark and was possibly even related by blood. Some challenges with the script are noticed but overcome by the end. It's nice to talk about the Jaws Ride too which borrowed the same ending as this movie.
"Me and my boy here, we're gonna put a podcastin' on ya!" - It's back to the well for Bruce Willis and Dave as he takes 2013's A Good Day to Die Hard off the shelf this week and subjects Phil to another movie that he had never seen. Judging by the quote above, this movie has nothing memorable or interesting to bring to the table as Phil found it to be bland and uninteresting. He further finds that Bruce has none of the self-awareness that Stallone infused Rocky 5 with. Dave, however, still enjoys some of the cut of Bruce's jib and despite walking out of the theatre back in 2013, enjoyed it revisiting the movie in the basement. A ranking of these movies is included in this episode too!
"A lot of people come to Vegas to Podcast, I didn't" - One more round in the Rocky franchise as Phil takes 2006's Rocky Balboa off the shelf this week. Dave find this entry to be a fitting conclusion to the story and things that it makes up for the casting issues of the last one Phil remembers seeing this movie in the theatre in Vancouver and coming out jacked up and excited. A beautiful ending to the story with some great heart and humour that elevates it above some of the previous sequels and a great example of tapping into what made the original great even after 30 years. Stick around to the end as we rank the 6 movies.
"Touch me and I'll Podcast - it's round five as Phil takes 1990's Rocky 5 off the shelf this week. Dave isn't that eager to get back in the ring but in the end thinks the movie is better than he thought it would be, though does think that the casting of Tommy Morrison is a weak link to the film and ensures that it never reaches the heights it could. Phil finds the choice to humble Rocky and return him to the neighbourhood to be a good one and helps ground the character after Rocky 4. Bringing back the director and composer of the original film is a nice touch. Will we cover Rocky Balboa? Well, I didn't hear no bell..
"I don't think the dead care about podcasting" - It's the second Bond movie that Phil has ever seen as Dave takes 2008's Quantum of Solace off the shelf this week. Phil expresses his disappointment in the film as it fails to capitalize on the strength of the previous entry. Some weak performances, drab colours and poor villain is a real let-down. Dave feels there's a good movie in there but fails due to poor editing. Neither of them could piece together the plot.
The Name is Pod - Pod Cast.....Dave finally brings down 2006's Casino Royale off the shelf this week and continues to enjoy the action adventure story. He confirms that Daniel Craig may be his favorite Bond in the franchise, right after admitting he's only seen one other. Phil has never seen a Bond movie before but is impressed with how many things he knows of the series of films just from the ubiquity of the character. From a great song to great titles, Phil is engaged and pretty locked in. Dave finds the chemistry with Eva Green to be believable, even without a trunk to be seen.
"Fame has a fifteen minute half-life, podcasts last a little longer." - In these troubled times, Phil takes 1999's The Insider Off the Shelf this week and find that this story is just as important as it was then. Michael Mann's brilliant direction , except for the jowl-cam, and the pitch perfect performances of Russel Crowe and Al Pacino make this movie incredibly watchable. Dave was compelled by the movie but felt it a little too scene heavy and may have been a little shorter to still get the same result. It's Christopher Plummer that we both agree deserved an Oscar nomination as he delivers an incredible performance. Journalism is under attack by, not just corporate interests but the most powerful figure in politics. A sadly prescient film from 25 years ago.
