The Franchise Forum Podcast

The Director Series kicks off a new set with the Coen Brothers and Miller's Crossing (1990)!

What's the rumpus? Greg starts his deep dive on the most prominent directing duo of all time, investigating how their work is impacted by their Jewish upbringing in his own home state of Minnesota. Ross is along for the ride on this episode to help provide some context to the brilliant elements of the film. The two share their hot takes ab...

Grab your mop, find the marble in the oatmeal, and tell the kids we’re going to Spatula City... The Franchise Forum is heading to U62!

After winning trivia twice in a row, Ross abuses his newfound power to select 1989’s gloriously unhinged UHF for our Third Frantasy episode: a movie that never became a franchise…but absolutely should have.

The guys revisit a childhood favorite built from satire stacked upon satir...

The Quentin Tarantino Director Series wraps up with Inglourious Basterds (2009). From the unforgettable opening farmhouse scene to the legendary performances from Christoph Waltz and Brad Pitt, Greg breaks down the film’s wild alternate-history take on World War II, its unforgettable characters, razor-sharp dialogue, dark humor, and explosive moments.

We'll explore what makes the movie so compelling, why Hans Landa is one of...

Franchise Forum closes out the original Evil Dead trilogy with Army of Darkness, the point where Sam Raimi more or less abandons horror and turns the whole thing into a medieval fantasy-action comedy.

Greg, Adam, Ross and Erik break down Bruce Campbell’s full evolution into Ash, Raimi’s wildly inventive filmmaking, skeleton armies, practical effects, Three Stooges energy, endless one-liners, and one very dependable boom...

The Quentin Tarantino Director Series continues with his directorial debut - Reservoir Dogs.

Greg digs into the low-budget breakout film that not only put Tarantino on the map, but impacted the way filmmakers incorporated stylized dialogue and references to pop culture. This episode breaks down the iconic soundtrack, the acting performances, and the unconventional decision to focus on the aftermath rather than the heist.

Listen to ...

Widely regarded as one of the greatest horror sequels ever made, Sam Raimi's 1987 cult classic blurs the line between remake and sequel, transforming the relentless terror of the original into a manic blend of horror, slapstick comedy, and groundbreaking visual invention.

Greg, Adam, Ross, and Erik break down Bruce Campbell's iconic performance as Ash, Raimi's wildly kinetic camerawork, th...

Our Director Series continues with Quentin Tarantino and Pulp Fiction.

One of the most influential filmmakers of the modern era, Tarantino takes center stage as Greg explores how Pulp Fictionshattered storytelling conventions and forever changed independent cinema. From its nonlinear structure to its unforgettable dialogue and cultural impact, this episode dives into what makes Tarantino's...

This week, we dig into Sam Raimi’s 1981 cult classic, a movie that none of us fully knew how to process but all of us had to respect. Is it enjoyable? Not exactly. Is it inventive, relentless, gross, weirdly charming, and somehow one of the most impressive student-film-feeling debuts ever made? Absolutely.

We talk micro-budget filmmaking, stop-motion gore, suspiciously smooth ...

The Die Hard franchise comes to an end as the Franchise Forum crew heads to Moscow for A Good Day to Die Hard—the most criticized and controversial entry in the series. This week, we break down the father-son story between John and Jack McClane, debate whether the franchise lost what made it special, and ask if this movie really deserves its infamous reputation.

Along the way, we discuss the franchise's evolution from "wrong ...

The Franchise Forum crew is back… and John McClane has officially entered the digital age. This week, we tackle Live Free or Die Hard, the cyber-terrorism-fueled fourth entry that trades grimy ’80s grit for exploding helicopters, collapsing freeways, and Justin Long explaining the internet to Bruce Willis.

We break down the franchise’s controversial shift from hard-R to PG-13, debate Bruce Willis’ scor...

We’re back with John McClane… and this time, the whole city’s in play.

In Episode 9, Greg, Erik, Adam, and Ross head to New York for Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995) the sequel that ditches the building, turns everything into a puzzle, and somehow never slows down. From Central Park to Wall Street, Simon Gruber is pulling the strings and McClane is just trying to keep up.

We get into what works, what really works...

Franchise Forum: Director Series begins with Christopher Nolan and Dunkirk.

One of the most celebrated directors of this century, Nolan becomes the focus as Greg breaks down how Dunkirk strays from the traditional war film mold and how Nolan’s signature style shapes the experience of this 2017 Best Picture–nominated film.

Episode 1 of the Christopher Nolan Director Serie...

In this Frantasy Episode, the Franchise Forum crew takes to the skies to revisit The Rocketeer, Disney’s 1991 love letter to pulp adventure, Art Deco design, and the golden age of aviation. Along the way we talk about why this film made such a strong impression on so many of us as kids, even if the pacing feels a little different through modern eyes. From the retro-futuristic world and James Horner’s soaring score to th...

We’re back with John McClane… and this time, it’s snowing. In Episode 8, the Franchise Forum crew heads to Dulles Airport to break down Die Hard 2 (1990), the sequel that tries to go bigger, louder, and somehow colder. Spoiler alert: none of us were exactly thrilled with the layover.

We dive into what doesn’t work, what almost works, and whether repeating the formula makes for comfort food or creative crash...

What if The Big Lebowski wasn’t just a cult comedy but the first chapter in a crooked, smoke-filled noir franchise that never was?

In the debut episode of Frantasy, we pour ourselves a caucasian, lower the lights, and follow The Dude as a hard-luck private eye stumbling through a mystery he never asked to solve. We break down how The Big Lebowski borrows from classic detective fiction, where it zigzags away from genre expecta...

This week the crew heads to Nakatomi Plaza for a holiday party gone very, very wrong. We unpack John McTiernan’s Die Hard (1988) — the film that redefined the modern action hero, made Bruce Willis a movie star, and somehow became the most debated Christmas movie of all time. From “shoot the glass” to “Yippee-ki-yay,” we dig into the film’s perfect pacing and connective tissue, Alan Rickman&...

The guys actually liked this one... though Erik was a little timid to admit it. In this episode, the crew returns to Isla Sorna for a wild ride through Jurassic Park III (2001), Joe Johnston’s leaner, meaner follow-up to Spielberg’s dino duology. From talking raptors to Spinosaurus supremacy, we dig into what works, what doesn’t, and why this stripped-down sequel somehow delivers more fun than expected.

Stick arou...