30something Movie Podcast

This week we’re saddling up with The Quick and the Dead (1995), Sam Raimi’s spaghetti western by way of a Looney Tunes fever dream. Sharon Stone rides into town with a score to settle, Russell Crowe tries to outrun his past, and Gene Hackman chews the scenery like it’s a steak he overcooked himself. Leonardo DiCaprio is all charm and babyface bravado, and every gunfight is a crash zoom carnival of smoke, sweat, and a ...

Between illness and travel and family stuff, life has been a little crazy lately. That's also thrown off the recording schedule for the podcast! But we don't want you to miss out on great movies, so here's a compromise: We're pulling a Patreon exclusive episode out of the vault and sharing it with the masses. This one is in honor of our first Patreon member: Padraig from Ireland! I got the chance to finally meet our good friend in ...

This week we’re unraveling The Usual Suspects (1995), the twisty noir where five crooks walk into a lineup and never walk out the same. Kevin Spacey spins his web as Verbal Kint, Gabriel Byrne simmers with guilt, and the specter of Keyser Söze looms larger than life—or maybe larger than myth. It’s a puzzle box of lies, loaded guns, and smoky backrooms, where the truth is as slippery as the devil himself. We’re sifting through the a...

This week we’re descending into Se7en (1995), David Fincher’s rain-soaked nightmare where gluttony, greed, and wrath aren’t just sins—they’re crime scenes. Brad Pitt’s the hot-headed rookie, Morgan Freeman’s the weary sage, and Kevin Spacey’s waiting in the shadows with a plan that’s been rotting for a long time. It’s a bleak dive into moral decay, a city that feels cursed, and a final box that still haunts us. We’re peeling back t...

This week we’re cracking open Congo (1995), the jungle romp where killer gorillas guard diamonds and a gorilla named Amy talks with a Nintendo Power Glove. Laura Linney’s armed, Dylan Walsh brought juice boxes for a primate, and Ernie Hudson is the only one who knows what movie he’s in. It’s corporate espionage meets theme park ride—and we’re digging through the chaos to see why this ’90s relic is still echoing through our brains l...

This week we’re diving into Outbreak (1995), the viral thriller that turned sneezing into a death sentence. Dustin Hoffman’s a scrappy Army virologist, Rene Russo’s his ex with better instincts, and Morgan Freeman’s somewhere between helpful and horrifying. From monkey smugglers to military cover-ups, we’re breaking quarantine to figure out how this ‘90s pandemic panic still infects our brains today.

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Buckle up, weirdos—this week we’re cruising into the irradiated heart of 1984’s Repo Man, a punk-fueled odyssey of car repossession, government conspiracies, alien corpses, and existential dread… all wrapped in a glowing Chevy Malibu. Emilio Estevez is the disaffected punk turned repo apprentice, Harry Dean Stanton is his nihilist mentor with a code, and the whole thing spirals into a cosmic joke with radioactive punchlines. From g...

Strap in, slap on your tinfoil hat, and squint through the splinters of time, because we’re unraveling the brain-bending, plague-drenched, chrono-chaotic fever dream that is 12 Monkeys (1995). This ain't your grandma’s time travel movie—unless she’s into post-apocalyptic underground bunkers and Cassandra complexes.

Bruce Willis stumbles through time with a head full of nightmares, Madeleine Stowe plays psychiatrist turned fugitive,...

Grab the dice and watch out for monkeys, because we’re diving headfirst into the stampede of sound, spectacle, and emotional storytelling that is Jumanji (1995). It’s a jungle-in-a-box, people! Vines through the ceiling, carnivorous plants in the kitchen, and a board game that makes Monopoly look like a nap.

Robin Williams swings in as a man-child with jungle PTSD, Bonnie Hunt brings the therapy and the sarcasm, and two traumatized...

Buckle up, check your badges, and crank that Inner Circle track—we’re diving back into the bullet-riddled, wisecrack-packed chaos of Bad Boys (1995). It's the full Michael Bay treatment: slo-mo shootouts, gratuitous gun fights... It’s Mike and Marcus at their loudest, baddest, and most dysfunctional—and we’re here to celebrate every excessive explosion!

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Grab your swords, dust off your Bryan Adams albums, and unsheath your sense of nostalgia—our 10th anniversary rewatch takes us back to The Three Musketeers (1993), a film we couldn’t resist the first time and love even more now. We’re revisiting this rollicking, feather-plumed adventure to celebrate its mix of bravado, bromance, and peak ‘90s charisma.

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Strut with us through the neon-lit fantasy of Showgirls, where ambition grinds against excess under the hot lights of the Vegas strip. We’re diving into this Paul Verhoeven-directed spectacle of sex, satire, and shattered dreams, unpacking Elizabeth Berkley’s raw, chaotic turn as Nomi Malone.

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Step into the rustbelt boardrooms and brake pad warehouses of Tommy Boy, where slapstick meets sincerity under the flickering lights of a family-run auto parts empire. We’re diving into this Chris Farley–driven blend of heart, hilarity, and hijinks, unpacking the unlikely charisma of Farley and David Spade, the redemption arc of a lovable screw-up, and what this film says about loyalty, legacy, and finding your footing—one disastro...

Walk with us through the West Wing and into the heart of The American President, where romance meets realpolitik under the soft glow of the White House. We’re diving into this Aaron Sorkin-penned blend of idealism, charm, and sharp political drama, unpacking the chemistry between Michael Douglas and Annette Bening, the dream of a more noble presidency, and what this film says about leadership, image, and the power of personal convi...

This week, we're watching Leaving Las Vegas, a film that doesn’t ask for redemption, only recognition. Nicolas Cage gives us Ben, unraveling with grace and fire, while Elisabeth Shue’s Sera offers a love that doesn’t try to fix—just to see. Together, they create something devastatingly honest: a portrait of two broken souls who find fleeting solace in each other’s ruin.

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Draw the curtains and lean in close as we descend into the dreamy, disquieting world of Blue Velvet. For our 10th anniversary rewatch, we’ll peel back the facade of small-town America to explore the shadows underneath—desire, violence, and the search for truth. Through David Lynch’s surreal lens, we’ll examine the collision of innocence and corruption, the intoxicating pull of mystery, and the way darkness often hides in plain sigh...

Pick up your instruments as we dive into the decades-spanning score of Mr. Holland's Opus. We’ll explore the poignant journey of a composer who puts his magnum opus on hold for a teaching career, the profound, evolving impact he has on generations of students, and the complex sacrifices demanded by family and unforeseen life paths.

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This week, we're grabbing a courtside seat and catching a flight back to Forget Paris. There's the often-comedic chaos of married life, the clever friends-at-a-restaurant framing device, and that signature Billy Crystal charm. Is it a funny, insightful look at making love last beyond the honeymoon phase—or does the reality of career clashes make you want to, well, forget Paris?

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This week, we’re slipping into a silk mask and diving into Don Juan DeMarco. We’ll be exploring its romantic fantasy vibes, the dreamlike storytelling, and that irresistible Depp-Brando dynamic. Is it a charming tale of passion and self-discovery—or just a seductive illusion wrapped in old-school charm?

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