Episode #133 - "Mission: Impossible - Fallout" Movie Review (7/18/2020)

ERyan welcomes friend of the show Justin O'Hanley in filling in the co-host chair while Dave is away, and together they dive deep into the most recent instalment of Tom Cruise's most successful big screen franchise. From Henry Cavill's deliciously sinister mustache to Tom's full-bodied ageless mane, no detail is too small or innocuous to dissect. Also, Ryan gets excited about returning characters from Missions past in the upcoming M:I 7 and 8, while Justin indulges in a pun and betrays everything he stands for.

Episode #132 - "Forrest Gump" Movie Review (7/7/2020)

EAfter a disastrous attempt at live video streaming for last week's aborted "Social Network" episode, Ryan and Dave skip ahead to this week's choice from friend of the show and special guest Madge Mossberg. Your trio dives into Robert Zemeckis's much-loved '90's classic, and wonder aloud about what truly makes Gump special and why the film endures as a feel-good American epic to this very day. Also, Ryan speculates on the true meaning behind the infamous feather, Dave ponders what a John Travolta Gump would've been like, and American-born Madge regales your hosts about the time she actually met President LBJ. Next week, Ryan and Dave welcome back friend of the show Justin O'Hanley for his pick - "Mission: Impossible 6 - Fallout"!

Episode #131 - "Hereditary" Movie Review (5/31/2020)

ERyan and Dave welcome the Albino Assassin Brenlae MacMillan back to the show to discuss Brenlae’s pick – Ari Aster’s future horror classic “Hereditary”! From Toni Collette’s blistering performance (in more ways than one...) to the bloody occult craziness of the grand finale, it’s a film that begs rewatching (as hosts and guest have all done prior). Also, Ryan hones in on a modern horror trope that Ari Aster has all but cornered on his own, Dave posits an incisive theory on what is truly going on in this house of horrors, and Brenlae once again warns of the dangers of Magic Mushrooms. Next week, Ryan's next pick revisits the rise of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg - "The Social Network"!

Episode #130 - "The Godfather: Part III" Movie Review (5/24/2020)

EFriend of the show and certified Goonie Madge Mossberg returns as Ryan and Dave conclude the epic saga that revolutionized the crime genre. More of an epilogue to the completed story of Parts I and II, Part III nonetheless offers some high points for Al Pacino and a fitting end for Michael Corleone after his many sins and transgressions. What do your hosts and guest think of the film's reputation as the weakest link in the series? Has it earned some esteem in the interim years with the benefit of time? Tune in to find out! Also, Ryan is perplexed on how it takes so long to eat one cannoli, Dave skewers the corruption rampant in the Catholic Church over the years, and Madge debuts her long-awaited acapella rendition of the Godfather theme. Next week, friend of the show Brenlae "The Albino Assassin" MacMillan returns for his pick - "Hereditary"!

Episode #129 - "Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn" Movie Review (5/17/2020)

ERyan and Dave welcome friend of the show Justin back for their first in-person podcast since Covidmania first swept the globe. Justin's pick is Sam Raimi's shlock splatterhouse classic that was both a sequel and a sort of remake to the Spider-man director's '83 original. Your hosts and Justin break down the making of low-budget horror on a shoestring, as well as various influences on the genre the film had in the years ahead. Also, Ryan has an eye for ocular puns, Dave relays the similarity between Ash's lonely psychotic episode to real life psychosis, and Justin hates Ryan forever for those aforementioned puns. Next week, Madge Mossberg returns to finish the job she started with "The Godfather" - "The Godfather: Part III"!

Episode #128 - "The Godfather: Part II" Movie Review (5/11/2020)

EUnfortunately, friend of the show and “Godfather” expert Madge Mossberg couldn’t return to offer insight this time around, but Ryan and Dave nonetheless proceed and follow up their episode on Francis Ford Coppola’s mob masterpiece “The Godfather” with its immediate successor that chronicles the parallel rise and fall of Vito (Robert De Niro) and Michael (Al Pacino) Corleone, respectively. Dividing audiences at the time with its audacious narrative choice to be both sequel AND prequel, it has stood the test of time with flawless performances, artful cinematography and indelible sequences of Sicilian revenge to be savored and studied. Also, Ryan generally marvels at the impeccable writing and character arcs, while Dave reflects on the cycle of life that occurs between generational shifts, which is a large part of this film’s study. Next week, the first in-person podcast since quarantine began, as friend of the show Justin O'Hanley returns to discuss his pick - "Evil Dead 2: Dea...

Episode #127 - "The Godfather" Movie Review (5/3/2020)

ERyan and Dave make friend of the show and Island comedian/improv performer Madge Mossberg an offer she can’t refuse: to come on and share her love of the Godfather Trilogy! Madge is a real life Goonie from Astoria, Oregon, and brings with her a bevy of experience and quirky insight into Francis Ford Coppola’s unmatched American Mafia epic. Ryan points out the importance of diversity in the creative end of filmmaking with Coppola’s authentic Italian-American background in the making of this movie, while Dave rightly points out that diversity still had a long way to go on the acting front when Brando himself was about as Italian as bratwurst. Your hosts and guest break down every iconic moment and scene as you would expect, and tee up next week’s pick that keeps the Corleone saga rolling – “The Godfather: Part II”!

Episode #126 - "The Killing of a Sacred Deer" Movie Review (4/23/2020)

ERyan and Dave are joined in the Skype studio by friend of the show and Island singer/songwriter/comedian/beard connoisseur Andrew Campbell to discuss his pick this week in lieu of a widely available stream of "Her" - Yorgos Yanthimos’s bizarre ode to Greek tragedy, starring Nicole Kidman and Colin Farrell. Dave is having none of it from word go, Ryan tries to find the bright spots in an often inscrutable enigma of a film, and Andrew is put on the defensive by Dave’s withering scorn for having picked this in the first place. Next week, Ryan's next pick goes AFI old school with Francis Ford Coppola's mob masterpiece - "The Godfather"!

Episode #125 - "Outbreak" Movie Review (4/15/2020)

ERyan and Dave host their second viral episode of the podcast (lots of pun layers to unpack for you there, enjoy), as Covidmania continues sweeping the globe. Piggybacking off Steven Soderbergh’s sobering Hollywood thriller “Contagion”, which chose to examine the realistic effects of a pandemic on society, Ryan and Dave tee up a viral thriller with an entirely different style – a very ‘90’s movie with ample amounts of bombastic personalities and cheesy action to sate a cynical cinephile’s (cyniphile?) soul. Joining your duo this time around is special guest Iggy from the Commonwealth of Virginia, returning at last after a lengthy absence from the show! Next week, Ryan’s next pick veers away from the depressing echoes of quarantined real life to a prescient film of an entirely different nature – “Her”!

Episode #124 - "Contagion" Movie Review (4/3/2020)

ERyan and Dave return via Skype for their first show back since Covidmania began sweeping the globe. And first up is Steven Soderbergh’s prescient and frightening glimpse into a world ravaged by a pandemic, which has become newly popular in recent days on Netflix, for obvious reasons. Also, Ryan shows up late to the show, leaving poor Dave sweltering in his protective mask for 15 unnecessary minutes, while Dave deep-dives into the science behind viral contagions before he realizes he should’ve taken more swimming lessons. Next week on the show, your hosts inspect another Hollywood viral thriller of a completely different nature like monkeys looking for lice - "Outbreak"!