Fully Operational

Ghost Dog, power, equality. Always see everything, my brother. That's the kind of vibe we're about to get on. So join us for this stoic, Jim Jarmusch samurai flick featuring Forest Whitaker, his son, Damon, the RZA and a whole slew of over the hill mobsters. But before we read passages from the Hagakure and hang out with our favorite Haitian ice cream vendor, we have to talk about what we watched this week.

Dre a...

Demon Woman, Demon Hag. Po-tay-to, po-tah-to. However, you slice it up, it comes up Onibaba every time. But before we get lost in the flowing miscanthus, stumble into a pit and plummet to our deaths, only to have our clothes and valuables scavenged, and also have some frank depictions of sex, we have to talk about what we watched this week.

Goodman knocked out seasons 1 & 2 of Netflix's Lupin starring everyone&apo...

Holy, Shogun Assassin, Ronin, it's Samurai Swordplay Month-ish at Fully Operational! We're delving into some samurai classics and deep cuts (get it?), starting with the Rza/Wu-Tang Clan approved, Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance. But before we start slicing off legs at the mid-calf, we have to talk about what we watched this week.

Dre continued his spaghetti western pilgrimage with Il Mercenario (or The Mer...

With West Coast temperatures in the 110s, we figured why not add a little more Heat... and Dust to the world. That's right, we watched a 4th Ruth Prawer Jhabvala film, this one based on her 1975 Booker Prize-winning novel of the same name.

But before we go back in time with our great-aunt Olivia to British Colonial India (and then 1970s India), we first have to talk about what we watched this week. And, honey, it was...

This is what remains of our three films by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala miniseries, the 8x Oscar-nominated (zero-winning), The Remains of the Day, starring Anthony Hopkins, in one of his most intricate roles and Dame Emma Thompson, coming hot off her Howards End Best Actress win.

But before we hang out at Darlington Hall (take that Downton Abbey!), we have to talk about what we watched this week.

And, for Dre, he actually...

The Ruth Truth Train is still chugging along with the movie she won her 2nd screenwriting Oscar for: Howards End. It's turn of the century E.M. Forster at its finest, but does it still hold up? Before you can hear our esteemed, expert takes, we have to talk about what we watched this week.

Goodman and Dre tag-team the excellent HBO Max limited series, starring Academy Award-winning actress, Kate Winslet, Mare of Eastt...

How many screenwriters have won multiple Academy Awards? 15. It's an exclusive group. Woody Allen won 3 #canceled. Here are the other 14 that have won 2: Robert Bolt, Charles Brackett, Paddy Chayefsky, Francis Ford Coppola, Christopher Hampton, Joseph L. Mankiewicz, Alexander Payne (#kindacanceled), Mario Puzo, Michael Wilson, Alvin Sargent, George Seaton, Quentin Tarantino, Billy Wilder, and the only woman, Ruth Prawer Jhabva...

Zack Snyder's latest film, Army of the Dead, came out on Netflix not too long ago. And even though we're about to kick off our trifecta of Ruth Prawer Jhabvala movies (tomorrow!), we knew we had to watch it and share our expert opinions, which aren't really opinions (because we're experts), but more like scientifically-proven, peer-reviewed statements. #facts

So enjoy this bonus episode and listen to us...

We close out our theme of Taylor Sheridan movies with his most recent film (which he wrote and directed) and just came out in theaters (remember those?) and HBO Max: Those Who Wish Me Dead. It's about smokejumpers and assassins and survivalists and Angelina Jolie and a kid, so that's nice.

But before we jump into that bonfire of a discussion, we have to talk about what we watched this week.

Goodman, aft...

Wind River is the directorial debut of actor/screenwriter Taylor Sheridan. Coming off of Sicario and Hell or High Water, expectations were high, and he knocks it out of the park again, with some fine performances from the requisite Marvel Avengers Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen, and Sheridan staples such as Gil Birmingham, Jon Bernthal and Kelsey Asbille.

But before we travel to a Wyoming Native American reservation, Go...

Come Hell or High Water, this episode is gonna go live! Because we're talking about Taylor Sheridan's script, directed by David Mackenzie, starring Chris Pine, Ben Foster, Jeff Bridges, Gil Birmingham, Katy Mixon, Dale Dickey, and more in Hell or High Water—a modern western that may just give you peace.

But before we do, we talk about the new trailer for the Guy Ritchie/Jason Statham Wrath of Man, and the fate o...

Tom Clancy's novel, Without Remorse has been waiting for the Hollywood treatment for years—even Keanu Reeves was attached back in the day—so who knew it would end up in the lap of screenwriter Taylor Sheridan and director Stefano Sollima of Sicario: Day of the Soldado fame? Probably no one.

But before we get into all the Michael B. Jordan action-thriller tête-à-tête, we have to talk about what we watched this week.

As soon as Sicario came out, we knew Taylor Sheridan was a good screenwriter.  Three films later (with two more about to drop in the next few weeks), he's cementing his status as a great screenwriter. And for the next month or so, we're diving deep into his filmography, starting with a double dose of Sick-ario action with the original and the sequel, Sicario: Day of the Soldado.

But first we have to talk about th...

We close out The Godfather Saga with a double feature courtesy of Mr. Coppola himself—The Godfather: Part III + The Godfather, Coda. We're talking almost five and half hours of pure Corleone action! But before we can break down everything that happens in these films, including Sophia Coppola's line-readings, Donkey Boy, Dre's Joe Mantegna, and 'It's his diabetes!', we have to discuss what we watched th...

The saga continues with a part II (of The Godfather: Part II) to remember. After a blistering part I, it wasn't clear if we'd even make it back into the recording studio (aka Zencastr) to finish it up, but we set aside our differences and did just that. Goodman finished the movie, and Dre held back the acid in his mouth.

But before we can conclude the first sequel to ever win an Academy Award for Best Picture, we...

In the famous words of Don Dre Corleone, you broke my heart, Goodman. Or more specifically, Paramount+ broke Goodman's (and the internet's) heart. In this episode, art imitates life because Fully Operational becomes a tragedy, an opera... a saga.

In Part I of our, now, 2-part episode of The Godfather: Part II, we start off with everything you know and love about Fully Operational:

• A sufficient dose of witty b...

Yes, it's April Fool's Day. Yes, we're back. No, it's not a joke, we're really back. Seriously, there's a real movie episode that's now live. It's not just Goodman going off the top of the dome for 45 minutes on Tenet (with only 5 minutes being the actual review). We repeat. This. Is. Not. A. Joke. Which is a shame, because it would've been a pretty good one.

And what better wa...

Hello, Fully Friends! We're still on vacation, but we couldn't let the 2021 Oscar Nominations come out without our expert analysis and insightful reactions (uh, where TF is Lauren Lapkus' Best Actress nomination?). 

So join us for a quick debrief on the nominations and see if you agree with us (which you should). 

SONG CREDITS:
Theme music: "70s Funk" by Frank Cogliano
Closing musi...

Welcome to the definitive podcast review of Christopher Nolan's 2020 film, Tenet. This review is so hot, it's basically the audio equivalent of OnlyFans, which is why it had to come in 2021.

If you're a Goodman-completist, this is a must listen. If you're not, or have never listened to this show before, then it's also a must listen. Sure, you could skip to the last 7 minutes of this 40+ minute rev...