Wed, Jan 13, 2021
On the first-ever episode of the NeverEnding Movie Marathon podcast, Rocco, Alex, and Matt embark upon a mini-marathon of three swashbuckling and globetrotting Adventure movies beginning with 1999's block-busting monster mash starring Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, and Arnold Visloo-- it's director Stephen Sommers's 'The Mummy'.
Wed, Feb 24, 2021
Matt, Rocco, and Alex present a new mini-marathon all about our favorite funny man: Kenan Thompson. This Secret Sauce series of three films breaks down the special ingredients that make Kenan hilarious, beginning with the spoof-and-a-goof starring Paul Rudd, Amy Poehler, Cobie Smulders, and of course, Kenan - it's David Wain's 'They Came Together' (2014).
Wed, Mar 10, 2021
We end our '90s rewind by reckoning with our fat kid pasts, the highs and lows of summer camp, and that big inflatable "Blob" in the lake - plus, more talk about what makes Kenan Thompson the best. Join Rocco, Alex, and Matt for the finale of Kenan's Secret Sauce with this Judd Apatow, Ben Stiller, and Steven Brill joint - it's 'Heavyweights' (1995).
Wed, Mar 24, 2021
#MarchSadness continues with this intergalactic weeper that YOU voted for in our Saddest Movies Ever bracket. You won't want to miss a thing as we drill to the sappy heart of this bombastic blockbuster. Michael Bay brings the Bayhem, Bruce Willis kicks ass-teroid, and Ben Affleck gets new teeth for THE movie of Summer 1998-- 'Armageddon'.
Wed, Mar 31, 2021
You demanded it, and we podcasted it. The winner of our #MarchSadness bracket is the official King of the World, James Cameron's historic drama starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, and the very sexily bewigged Billy Zane - it's 'Titanic' (1997). This Sinker Special rocked the Oscars, the box office, and now it's giving the NeverEnding Movie Marathon something to cry about. Also, what's with all those 'Avatar' sequels? We get the bottom of Cameron's career as he gets to the bottom of the ocean.
Wed, Apr 7, 2021
Not turtley enough for the Turtle Club? Good. Rocco, Alex and Matt invite filmmaker friend Giovanni Iacobucci to investigate Dana Carvey's nightmarish attempts at character work for Happy Madison in our first-ever Stinker Special. Will 'The Master of Disguise' cause us to reinstate our #NoStinkers policy for good? Is this the worst movie to ever include Adam Sandler's name in the credits? And will we ever learn the truth about 9/11? Find out on today's ep.
Wed, Apr 14, 2021
How do our favorite directors' first films stack up against their illustrious careers? That's what Rocco, Alex, and Matt will try to answer on their newest miniseries. We kick things off with a nail-biting, nihilistic, neon noir from the Coen Brothers, starring Frances McDormand, Dan Hedaya, John Getz, and the incomparable M. Emmet Walsh-- it's 'Blood Simple' (1984).
Wed, Apr 21, 2021
12:45 - Restate our assumptions: Darren Aronofsky's 'Pi' is a hardcore headtrip that every film fanatic should take. That's why this no-budget math thriller is the next episode in our First Timers mini-marathon about our favorite directors' debut films. We dive deep into Aronofsky's career highs (his upcoming Brendan Fraser movie?), lows (mother!), and near misses, including how influential his unmade Batman: Year One movie seems to be on the Matt Reeves's RPattz Bats. 12:47 - We hit return.
Wed, May 19, 2021
How could just a few words in the original Star Wars opening crawl become a whole movie? And how can a Disney movie get away with killing all of its main characters before the closing credits? With Cinenauts Podcast host Ian de Borja, we break down why 'Rogue One' works surprisingly well and why Riz Ahmed was perfect casting for Bodhi Rook in our final episode of our Puttin' on the Riz mini-marathon.
Wed, May 26, 2021
25 years later, we're celebrating one of the best blockbuster seasons of all time-- it's Summer of 1996, baby. Before we get into the bracket winners that you picked, we kick this mini-marathon off with our choice, a basic cable banger with Bill Paxton, Helen Hunt, and Philip Seymour Hoffman-- it's Jan de Bont's weather thriller TWISTER.
Wed, Jun 2, 2021
Our mission - if we choose to accept it: podcast about the action-packed spy thriller that launched a franchise, saved Tom Cruise's career a couple of times, and introduced the world to his death-defying dangles. It's 'Mission: Impossible' time, people. And to ensure this plan goes off without a hitch, NEMM has recruited writer and host of the Knowing Is Half the Battle podcast, Gina Ippolito.
Wed, Jun 9, 2021
"Welcome - to The Podcasht!" We're once again bringing the Bay-hem for this breakdown of Michael Bay's jailhouse rocker starring Nicolas Cage, Sean Connery, Ed Harris, and a slew of "that guys" - The Rock. The action classic was voted runner-up in our Summer of '96 bracket for the best blockbusters of that epic season, so we deep dive on the film's "rocky" (get it?) production, splashy release, and legacy within the careers of Cage, Connery, and Bay. Plus, we all naturally do bad impressions of the Bond badass - almost immediately.
Wed, Jun 16, 2021
You picked it. And we podcast it. This is the winner of our Summer of '96 bracket and thereby the ultimate blockbuster of that super season. Starring the unbeatable crew of Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Vivica A Fox, Judd Hirsch, Robert Loggia, and a bunch of alien invaders in gigantic spaceships with humongous lasers, this is a cable classic that is probably playing somewhere on TV right - it's Roland Emmerich's 'Independence Day' people. Also known as 'ID4' to us Hollywood insider types.
Wed, Jun 16, 2021
'Black Widow' director Cate Shortland cites three movies as inspiration for her take on the Scarlett Johansson and Florence Pugh comic-book action thriller: 'Logan' (2017), 'The Fugitive' (1993), and today's episode 'T2' (1991). We're going to explore these 3 blockbuster classics in celebration and anticipation of 'Black Widow' before breaking down the Marvel movie soon after its worldwide premiere. But first. Let's dive into James Cameron's epic and perfect (?) movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, (Alex's childhood hero) Edward Furlong, Joe Morton, and the terrifying Robert Patrick. It's the one, the only - 'Terminator 2: Judgment Day', people. Oh, also, let's talk about the cool 3-D ride at Universal.
Wed, Jun 30, 2021
Get ready for a hard-target, deep dive into every warehouse, farmhouse, henhouse, outhouse and doghouse. Checkpoints go up at fifteen miles. Our film's name is - THE FUGITIVE. And we're doing a Peter Pan dive into talking about Harrison Ford, Tommy Lee Jones, Two-Face, director Andrew Davis, the city of Chicago, action movies at the Oscars, why we'll never cover 'Volcano' on this podcast, and one hundred other seemingly unrelated tangents that we somehow (mostly) connect by the end.
Wed, Jul 7, 2021
'Logan' (2017) is the third episode in our Widow Makers mini-marathon about the trio of films that inspired director Cate Shortland on Marvel's 'Black Widow' (2021), and it's arguably the best superhero movies ever made. Definitely the best Wolverine movie ever made - We dig our adamantium claws into how music man Hugh Jackman became super-hunk Huge JackedMan; our deep, confusing feelings for a film franchise with more bad attempts than great movies; and how director James Mangold might be the perfect choice to give Indiana Jones a similar perfect goodbye to a beloved character. Plus, we find an excuse to sing the '90s "X-Men" cartoon theme song again.
Wed, Jul 14, 2021
Marvel movies are back and smashing the patriarchy with sexy battle poses. Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, Rachel Weisz, David Harbour, and a tracksuitted Ray Winstone spin one helluva web in Black Widow. We break down what we love about the newest chapter in the MCU, trace all of director Cate Shortland's influences, including The Fugitive, Terminator 2, and Logan, plus a bunch of other surprises. No spoilers for the first 30 minutes, then we sound the Spoiler Alert for the remaining deep dive.
Wed, Jul 21, 2021
In this very special episode, we celebrate Joel and Ethan Coen in 7 rounds of sports(-themed) competitions - it's the Coen Brolympics. From Fargo to Raising Arizona, The BIG Lebowski to Leonard SMALLS, the Coens have gifted us nearly four decades of regional accents, inept criminals, and wide-angled hilarity, so we pit their 18 films against one another in 7 rounds of (faux) sport. Which films will be showered in gold and silver (and become the next two movies we cover on the podcast)? LET THE COEN BROLYMPIC GAMES BEGIN.
Wed, Sep 1, 2021
There are certain movies that even we didn't see, so this is our chance to catch-up on our Missed Selections from podcasts past. Alex gives his breakdown of the whackadoo wizarding world of Ben Wheatley's A Field in England, Rocco expounds on his Nicolas Cage love (again) with Norman Jewison's Moonstruck, and Matt explains why Holly Hunter is perfect in James L. Brooks's Broadcast News.
Wed, Sep 8, 2021
For his 75th birthday, we're celebrating America's Greatest Grump all September long with our Tommy Lee Jonesin' for the '90s mini-marathon. Only 3 TLJ films are as goofy, fun, and toyetic as Batman Forever, Men in Black and today's topic, Small Soldiers. Between our walk down memory lane of the ToyFare Magazines of our pasts and a debate over the better Gremlins film, we kinda, sorta fix Small Soldiers by centering it all on the man of the hour-- Chip Hazard himself, Tommy Lee Jones.
Wed, Sep 15, 2021
Between Tommy Lee's Two-Face tomfoolery, Riddler's Blender base, and the toys - Holy Plastic Playthings, Batman. The toys. We could go on FOREVER about Joel Schumacher's Batman Forever - so, we do. In a two-part podcast about Val Kilmer's swing at Bat(man), we're joined by supreme Bat-fan and Matt's brother, A.J. Detisch, for a dual celebration of all things Bruce Wayne and of Tommy Lee Jones, who turns 75 years young on this very day. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TLJ. Here's to 75 more cranky, craggily years.
Wed, Sep 29, 2021
We close out our Tommy Lee Jones mini-marathon celebrating his 75th birthday with this '90s classic that was actually as good as its Will Smith theme song - here come THE MEN IN BLACK, y'all. Rocco, Alex, and Matt get into the real-world origins (and conspiracy theories) behind this secretive government organization, director Barry Sonnenfeld's weird and wild career, and why the Academy still owes Vincent D'Onofrio an Oscar for creeping us out.
Wed, Oct 6, 2021
In this extra spooktacular pod-o-ween special from the NeverEnding Boo-vie Scare-arathon, we talk about the legacy of the horror genre from its earliest days in silent film to the boom of Universal Monsters in the 1930s to the Slashers of the late-'70s to the art-house, "message" horror of today, including all of the scary flicks that terrified us along the way. Plus, we each reveal our mini-marathon pick for a recent Horror Legacy film that we love and will be covering in our October episodes.
Wed, Oct 13, 2021
Halloween is upon us, so the NeverEnding Movie Marathon is getting extra spooky all October long with three of our favorite fright fests with a long history of going bump in the night. That's right, our picks for this month's marathon are all about the lasting Legacy of Horror-- three films that reinterpret their source material to scare an all-new audience. We begin with director Leigh Whannell's pulse-pounding take on 'The Invisible Man' (2020) with Elisabeth Moss, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Aldis Hodge, Storm Reid, and Harriet Dyer. We dig into Whannell's journey from 'Saw' to rescuing this film from the ashes of Universal's Dark Universe, how the original 1933 film starring Claude Raines pulled Universal Studios out of a financial tailspin, and a deep-dive into the special effects that made both movies see-through spectacles.
Wed, Oct 20, 2021
Don't say his name five times, or we're all in for it. Director Nia DaCosta and producer Jordan Peele cooked up this scary new take on 'Candyman' with Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Teyonah Parris, Colman Domingo, and Vanessa Williams that has the three of us buzzing like bees. As we continue diving deep into our Legacy of Horror mini-marathon, Matt discusses what it was like to speak with DaCosta about how she's reinterpreted the original Black slasher, Alex gives bloody backstory on the REAL Candyman killers, and Rocco explains why this film gets even better with multiple viewings - but stop before you get to five.
Wed, Oct 27, 2021
The Night He Came Home - Again. And Again. But not counting those other sequels. We get into the wacky timeline of David Gordon Green's 'Halloween Kills', why we think this movie rules while most critics didn't, and continue our conversation on urban legends and the legacy of horror. Plus, Alex details his latest encounter with director John Carpenter.
Wed, Nov 3, 2021
'Planes, Trains, and Automobiles' (1987) is the quintessential Thanksgiving movie, right? But what are the quintessential movies about a Plane, a Train, and an Automobile? Throughout November, the NeverEnding Movie Marathon crew will answer that query with three of their favorites, starting with this Nicolas Cage crashterpiece (or trashterpiece?), 'Con Air' (1997). Ving Rhames, John Malkovich, Danny Trejo, Steve Buscemi, Colm Meaney, and dozens more That Guys show up for Jerry Bruckheimer and Simon West's airborne antics that naturally end in Las Vegas. Put your tray tables up, because we're about to hit cruising altitude on one of the '90s best action flicks, y'all. And before you put the bunny back in the box, we'll cover 'Planes, Trains, and Automobiles" for Turkey Day, okay?
Wed, Nov 17, 2021
In 2008, the Wachowskis presented pure, uncut, psychedelic exuberance on screen for 2+ hours - and the world shrugged their stupid shoulders. But now, we're reclaiming the masterpiece that is 'Speed Racer' for its incredible cast (John Goodman, Susan Sarandon, Christina Ricci, Rain, and who could forget young Paulie Litt? Not us!), its eye-popping visuals (a neverending fall down an Alice in Wonderland rabbit hole), and the Wachowskis' form-breaking filmmaking that has us stoked for 'The Matrix Resurrections'.
Wed, Nov 24, 2021
After talking plane, train, and automobile movies throughout November, they're doin' the mess around with the ultimate movie about ALL THREE MODES OF TRANSPORTATION - it's the John Hughes classic starring Steve Martin, John Candy, and a million That Guys along the way, it's Planes, Trains and Automobiles. They break down their favorite lines, the funniest scenes, and whether or not those were actually pillows.
Wed, Dec 1, 2021
"KEVIN!" vs. "Hey, it's the Jojo Rabbit boy - No, not the main one - his doofy friend..." So, not every kid has what it takes to be a Kevin McCallister, although several have tried over the past three decades. Here they break down the true genius of the original John Hughes and Chris Columbus Christmas classic that has been in heavy rotation since 1990, the totally admirable retread of a sequel that -- get this. -- moved the action to the Big Apple, the forgettable sequels that popped up over the years, and this latest attempt to connect to the legacy by humiliating one of the first film's star. BUZZ DESERVES BETTER.
Wed, Dec 8, 2021
In about 35 years, Keanu Reeves has gone from Stoner Dude to Indie Darling to Action Hero to Shakespearean Punchline to the entire internet's boyfriend. Alex, Matt, and Rocco guide you on this wild ride through Keanu's career as he enters another Resurrection, playing Neo a fourth time in the new Matrix movie.
Wed, Dec 15, 2021
They're back in Jan de Bont Country to dig into the second episode of our Keanu Resurrections mini-marathon; a wild ride through Keanu Reeves's career as he enters another Resurrection, playing Neo a fourth time in the new Matrix movie. They talk about the great Sandy Bullock, the infamous Dennis Hopper, and the not-so-Dumb-or-Dumber Jeff Daniels in this no-brakes joyride through Los Angeles. Matt breaks down the stunts, Rocco pitches an awesome sequel idea, while Alex has deets on SPEED 2: CRUISE CONTROL and the forgotten SPEED 3.
Wed, Dec 22, 2021
They continue their adventure into the Keanu Resurrections with what could have been another Liam Neeson-style "Geriaction" Thriller about an old guy killing bad guys, but Keanu took the action to that next level, and we're all benefiting from it. Starring Michael Nyqvist, Alfie Allen, Willem Dafoe, Adrianne Palicki, Ian McShane, Lance Reddick, and oh yeah, KEANU - It's time for John Wick. Plus, plenty of talk about the incredible sequels.