The Weekly Movie Throwdown

This week on the podcast, we wrap up One Crazy Night Month with a deep dive into Michael Mann’s gripping 2004 crime thriller, Collateral. Starring Tom Cruise as a chilling hitman and Jamie Foxx as the unsuspecting cab driver caught in his path, Collateral delivers a unique blend of suspense, action, and moody L.A. nightlife. We had a blast breaking it all down!

And in our news segment:

• A new James Bond director has been annou...

Critically panned and sitting at a lowly 51% on Rotten Tomatoes, James Mangold’s Knight and Day has long been dismissed as a box office misfire. Even with A-listers Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz, the action-comedy-romance couldn’t escape harsh reviews. But in this episode of our Rewatch & Reconsider series, we ask the big question: does Knight and Day deserve the hate?

Join us as we dive deep into what works (and what doesn’t)...

This week on the podcast, we continue One Crazy Night Month with a deep dive into the hit 2018 comedy Game Night, directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein. This dark comedy-mystery blends sharp humor, clever plot twists, and stylish cinematography. Starring Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams, Game Night delivers one of the most entertaining comedy films of the 2010s.

____________________

STILL TO COME DURING ONE CR...

This week on the podcast, One Crazy Night Month rolls on with a deep dive into Martin Scorsese’s 1985 cult classic After Hours—the film he credits with rekindling his love for directing. Mike and Steven are joined by special guest Ben Tanzer, author of the new book After Hours: Scorsese, Grief and the Language of Cinema, to discuss the film’s surreal storytelling, its place in Scorsese’s filmography, and how it helped Ben process t...

This week on the podcast, we kick off One Crazy Night Month—a series celebrating movies where the action unfolds over the course of a single wild night. First up: Go (1999), Doug Liman’s fast-paced tale of a drug deal gone wrong. Often compared to Pulp Fiction, Go takes the multi-perspective narrative popularized by Tarantino and runs with it—arguably delivering one of the best takes on the format.

____________________

STILL ...

21st-Century Westerns Month wraps up this week with a real gem. We dig into Joel and Ethan Coen's No Country for Old Men, adapted from Cormac McCarthy's novel of the same name. With three fantastic performances, beautiful direction, and stunning cinematography, this film was a big hit at the Oscars, taking home four statues including Best Picture.

Joining us to discuss the film is author David Tromblay, whose forthcoming novel ...

This week 21st-Century Westerns Month continues with a double shot of 3:10 to Yuma. We compare and contrast the original 1957 version—directed by Delmer Daves—and the 2007 James Mangold remake. There's a lot of shared DNA that carries through from Elmore Leonard's short story, as well as quite a few original ideas in both. We also discuss the loss of Joe Don Baker last week, and a few other news stories.

____________________

On the show this week we discuss Wind River from 2017. This is the directorial debut of writer/actor/Paramount+ benefactor Taylor Sheridan. It's the third in his trilogy about the modern American frontier (along with Sicario and Hell or High Water), which makes it perfect for this month's 21st-Century Westerns theme. With a compelling story and pitch-perfect cast, we had a lot of fun talking about this one.

____________________

This week we kick off 21st Century Westerns Month, where we'll discuss the similarities and difference between modern films in this genre and their predecessors from the early days of Hollywood. Kicking things off, 2015's Bone Tomahawk, a throwback to early westerns with a very contemporary sensibility. It's the first film from writer/director S. Craig Zahler, and features an unbelievable cast. It's also controversial for its bruta...

This week we wrap up Baseball Month with one of the best films about the sport in the modern era. David S. Ward's Major League is a screwball comedy with a lot of the tropes we saw in Bad News Bears earlier in the month, and along with its hard R antics, it also sports a lot of heart in the writing. It's fun, funny, and inspiring. Join us as we discuss it along with some movie news about Sinners, Netflix, and much more!

____________...

Baseball Month continues this week with 2002's The Rookie, directed by John Lee Hancock. This story based on the life of pitcher Jim Morris fits the Disney template for inspiring sports films perfectly with its underdog themes and uplifting conclusion. Steven is nuts about this one, and Mike is on board too.

____________________

STILL TO COME DURING BASEBALL MONTH:

4/28: Major League (1989, directed by David S. Ward)

On Letter...

This week we're staying in 1976 with a look at The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings, a somewhat forgotten comedy that looks at the obstacles faced by players in the Negro League in the 1940s. Its heavy-hitting cast includes Billy Dee Williams, James Earl Jones, and Richard Pryor, and it tackles some serious issues while bringing nonstop comedy.

____________________

STILL TO COME DURING BASEBALL MONTH:

4/21: The Ro...

After our Bad News Bears episode we thought it'd be fun to stay on the mics and have a conversation about A Working Man, the new film from director David Ayer. It stars Jason Statham, the unofficial mascot of our show (see our first month of episodes from 2024 for more on him), as a construction worker with a dangerous past—much like The Beekeeper, the actor's other film with Ayer. Bonus: this was made from a script by the one and ...

April is upon us and that means it's time for a new monthly theme. Since spring is in the air we've decided to talk baseball this month on the show. Some of these films are a little off the beaten path, and a couple of them are beloved. But whether you know them or not, we can attest that they're all a lot of fun, starting with this week's exciting double feature.

We're discussing both versions of the classic Bad News Bears—the ...

This week we wrap up Fictional American Presidents Month with some high-octane fun. 1997's Air Force One, directed by Wolfgang Petersen, pits President Harrison Ford against terrorist Gary Oldman . . . on an airplane. It's peak dad action that preceded a whole rash of kick-ass Commander-In-Chief films in the years that followed. We're excited to talk about the one that started it all, so please join us.

____________________

On Le...

Fictional American Presidents Month rolls on this week with 1995's The American President, directed by Rob Reiner. This film stars Michael Douglas as a Commander In Chief with a conscience and a new girlfriend, played by Annette Bening. It's a charming story of love from a time when politics were simpler.

____________________

STILL TO COME DURING FICTIONAL AMERICAN PRESIDENT MONTH:

3/31 Air Force One (1997)

On Letterboxd? Follo...

On this week's episode we're taking a break from our Fictional American Presidents theme to do another installment of our Rewatch & Reconsider series where we dig up something that at least one of us liked in the past and watch it again to see if it's still any good, or if it failed the test of time. This time around we're moving away from presidents but sticking with politics as we watch 1992's The Distinguished Gentleman ...

This week Fictional American President Month continues with Dave, the Ivan Reitman-directed comedy from 1993. Kevin Kline gives two performances in this film as the president and the man asked to stand in for him after he suffers a stroke. It's a charming story filled with light-hearted political intrigue (at least by today's standards) and featuring an all-star cast from both Hollywood and Washington.

____________________

STILL ...

This month on the podcast we're all about the American President. And while that might be a dicey subject in real life, the ones we're looking at harken back to a simpler time—one that didn't actually exist. These are all made-up presidents in films that span the past thirty or so years. The office has changed a lot in that time, and so has how it's portrayed on screen. We'll talk about rom-coms, dramas, and even action-adventures....