Our old pal Alex Watkins (BOG War of the Worlds) returns for one of the most anticipated episodes of the show: Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit! We dive DEEP on stop-motion animation generally, Aardman Animation specifically, and a multitude of other topics as we journey through everyone's favorite old-man-and-dog pairing and their trip to the big screen, from their early history to suffering through notes from Dreamworks, and finally, INTO OUR HEARTS!
Brian's Twitter: https://x.com/SchmanthonyP
Brian's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/schmanthonyp.bsky.social
Rob's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/wormsgreenrealm.bsky.social
Rob's Substack: https://artofilliterates.substack.com/
Alex's Twitter: https://x.com/thamosdeaf
Theme Song: "Any Day Can Be Bicycle Day" by Ether Diver ( https://etherdiver.bandcamp.com/ )
We go SOLO on this one, just two gents trapped in a bathroom trying to cut out feet off!
We discuss the bizarre and influential and tremendously successful SAW series in what still qualifies as its nascent period, our adolescent fandom, and the specific innovations of SAW II: its ungainly melding of multiple scripts to distinct sections of "lore" and "game", its weird cast flourishes, making a star out of a 63-year-old Hollywood bit-part lifer, making a professional filmmaker out of the first ripoff they happened to run onto, its' bad plotting, ludicrous payoffs and grotesque gore being substituted for the original film's imagination, pointing towards the next decade in horror cinema, there's a LOT for us to talk about here, even sans guest. We honestly had SO much fun. Check it out!!!
Windows (For Piet & Peter): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNrJzb_a9fY
The Dreamcast Files: #91 - "Spirit of Speed 1937": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsFrNh9DO10
Brian's Twitter: https://x.com/SchmanthonyP
Brian's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/schmanthonyp.bsky.social
Rob's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/wormsgreenrealm.bsky.social
Rob's Substack: https://artofilliterates.substack.com/
Shaun's Twitter (not that he uses it!): https://x.com/shaun2oo3
Theme Song: "Any Day Can Be Bicycle Day" by Ether Driver ( https://etherdiver.bandcamp.com/ )
The great Esther Rosenfield (@capybaroness, The Lost Broadcasts) joins us to pick apart one of the worst and most befuddling films we've covered so far: the pseudo-horror COURTROOM DRAMA(?!) The Exorcism of Emily Rose! We discuss its baffling narrative structure, go deep on director Scott Derrickson's backstory leading up to this, and ask important questions like "is having an ambition towards philosophical thought enough?" "Is Laura Linney a good actress?" "did the audition for this movie just ask for your best backbend?", and most importantly, "why is any of this...like this?"
Oh, and MOST most importantly, "how about them Nuggets?!?"
We had so much fun ripping this nonsense to shreds, and I hope you have fun listening to it! Check it out!
Brian's Twitter: https://x.com/SchmanthonyP
Brian's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/schmanthonyp.bsky.social
Rob's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/wormsgreenrealm.bsky.social
Rob's Substack: https://artofilliterates.substack.com/
Esther's Twitter: https://x.com/capybaroness
Esther's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/capybaroness.bsky.social
Theme Song: "Any Day Can Be Bicycle Day" by Ether Driver ( https://etherdiver.bandcamp.com/ )
Surprise! We had a major multi-level cascading scheduling snafu the past few weeks so we decided, in lieu of having nothing at all, we would do something fun and silly: our pal Shaun Swayne (Crash) returns to join us a live commentary track to a movie that came up a LOT in recent weeks had been Kate Hudson and Gena Rowlands in THE SKELETON KEY, which none of us had ever seen. It's messy, it's ragged, but we had a lot of fun, and we hope you do as well! Thanks for your patience, thanks for being a listener!!!!
Brian's Twitter: https://x.com/SchmanthonyP
Brian's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/schmanthonyp.bsky.social
Rob's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/wormsgreenrealm.bsky.social
Rob's Substack: https://artofilliterates.substack.com/
Shaun's Twitter (not that he uses it!): https://x.com/shaun2oo3
Theme Song: "Any Day Can Be Bicycle Day" by Ether Driver ( https://etherdiver.bandcamp.com/ )
The wonderful Katie Stebbins (Herbie: Fully Loaded) becomes our newest #BOGBFF as she makes her triumphant return for a real mess of a movie: Jodie Foster in FLIGHTPLAN, a theoretically twisty, tricky thriller where the only twist is that nothing makes sense and the only trick is that you thought it otherwise might.
We discuss the film's impossibly nonexistent legacy for being one of the 20 highest grossing movies of its year, thanks to its preposterous, dishonest script that keeps you intrigued until the moment it reveals it has no clothes, as well as going deep into 2004's THE FORGOTTEN, a film with a nominally similar premise that goes in a much, much different direction.
It's always a joy to have Katie on and we got REAL punchy during this record, we had an absolute blast! Check it out!
"Rob's Spooky List": https://letterboxd.com/dunson/list/robs-spooky-list-2025/
Brian's Twitter: https://x.com/SchmanthonyP
Brian's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/schmanthonyp.bsky.social
Rob's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/wormsgreenrealm.bsky.social
Rob's Substack: https://artofilliterates.substack.com/
Katie's Twitter: https://x.com/_katiestebbins_
Katie's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/feminaridens.bsky.social
Theme Song: "Any Day Can Be Bicycle Day" by Ether Driver ( https://etherdiver.bandcamp.com/ )
One of my oldest, dearest, smartest and coolest friends, yet somehow the second person in her household to be a guest, the very talented writer and PUBLISHED AUTHOR Willow Catelyn Maclay (Corpses, Fools and Monsters: The History and Future of Transness in Cinema) joins the show this week to discuss Wes Craven's sweaty airplane thriller RED EYE.
We discuss Craven's relief in making a quick, clean potboiler after his nightmarish odyssey filming the werewolf trash CURSED, heap loads of praise on stars Rachel McAdams and Cillian Murphy, and discuss the charming effectiveness of the film's increasingly ludicrous machinations. including its craziest of all: asking us to be emotionally invested in the continued well-being of the head of Homeland Security.
We also have fun discussing the greatness of Eddie Kingston, an unexpected Survivor connection, a demented reality-show murder case, and the inexplicable success of the Denver Broncos.
We had SO much fun as I knew we would, I am so thrilled to finally have Willow on the show and I can't wait to have her back. ALSO BUY HER AMAZING BOOK, which is linked below!
Brian's Twitter: https://x.com/SchmanthonyP
Brian's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/schmanthonyp.bsky.social
Rob's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/wormsgreenrealm.bsky.social
Rob's Substack: https://artofilliterates.substack.com/
Willow's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/willowcatelyn.bsky.social
Willow's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/willowcatelynmaclay
Corpses, Fools and Monsters: The History and Future of Transness in Cinema by Willow Maclay (Author), Caden Gardner (Author) - https://www.amazon.com/Corpses-Fools-Monsters-Examination-Images/dp/1914420586
Theme Song: "Any Day Can Be Bicycle Day" by Ether Driver ( https://etherdiver.bandcamp.com/ )
We had to bring back two of our absolute favorite guests, Kevin Gray (The Pacifier) and Doug Tilley (Batman Begins) to cover the absolutely titanic pop cultural event that was The Forty-Year-Old Virgin. We discuss the seismic effect that this film had on comedy, pop culture and the careers of basically everyone who participated in it in the ensuing years, from Judd Apatow to Steve Carell to Seth Rogen to Paul Rudd to Elizabeth Banks and a bunch of folks in between. We also go very deep on the complicated experience experiencing and analyzing this film in 2025, the balance between the humanizing kindness the film does to its characters contrasted with its oafish, casually relentless homophobia, which is simultaneously more and less thorny than the lazy sexism of Wedding Crashers.
This is maybe the best episode we have EVER done, and I'd love for you to check it out!
Brian's Twitter: https://x.com/SchmanthonyP
Brian's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/schmanthonyp.bsky.social
Rob's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/wormsgreenrealm.bsky.social
Rob's Substack: https://artofilliterates.substack.com/
Doug's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/dougtilley.bsky.social
Cinema Smorgasbord: https://www.cinemasmorgasbord.com/
Kevin's Twitter: https://x.com/notoriouskpg
Theme Song: "Any Day Can Be Bicycle Day" by Ether Driver ( https://etherdiver.bandcamp.com/ )
Excited to have the big homey Aaron from the HIT FACTORY podcast join us for John Singleton's Detroit-set crime drama FOUR BROTHERS. We talk about the legendary Singleton's bumpy directorial career, FOUR BROTHERS's dizzying violence, outrageous action and unjustly nonexistent cultural legacy, its historical tendrils back to westerns and blaxploitation, its Marxist fist-fight climax, the effectiveness of immolation as a interrogation technique, the proper pronunciation of Outkast album titles, and if Garrett Hedlund looks like Charlie Hunnam.
We had massive technical and sudden scheduling issues throughout this whole recording and I think considering all that, this came out delightfully fun and incisive about one of the best movies we've covered so far!
Brian's Twitter: https://x.com/SchmanthonyP
Brian's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/schmanthonyp.bsky.social
Rob's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/wormsgreenrealm.bsky.social
Rob's Substack: https://artofilliterates.substack.com/
Aaron's Twitter: https://x.com/HitFactoryPod
Hit Factory: https://www.patreon.com/hitfactorypod
Theme Song: "Any Day Can Be Bicycle Day" by Ether Driver ( https://etherdiver.bandcamp.com/ )
My cine-masochist brethren Steve Carlson returns from our AMITYVILLE HORROR episode to discuss an even more disreputable entry on the project, Jay Chadrasekhar's adaptation of THE DUKES OF HAZZARD!
We get down and dirty discussing the mind-numbing plotting and popularity of the original show, the film's contemporary lineage of SUPER TROOPERS and JACKASS, its awkward handling of the show's Confederate iconography and a fascinating deep dive into Jay Chandrasekhar's memoirs recounting his attempts to wrangle mercurial childhood hero Burt Reynolds and studio interference regarding the casting of Jessica Simpson.
This movie is bad but this episode is VERY GOOD.
Brian's Twitter: https://x.com/SchmanthonyP
Brian's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/schmanthonyp.bsky.social
Rob's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/wormsgreenrealm.bsky.social
Rob's Substack: https://artofilliterates.substack.com/
Steve's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/lcosgrove.bsky.social
Theme Song: "Any Day Can Be Bicycle Day" by Ether Driver ( https://etherdiver.bandcamp.com/ )
Our delightful and erudite pal Daniel Gorman (BOG #13 - The Amityville Horror) returns to unexpectedly discuss an equally unexpectedly quite fun little Disney family superhero comedy, Kurt Russell and co. in SKY HIGH! We discuss the unusual route that Daniel came to appear on this specific episode, this forgotten movie overachieving thanks to its quality cast, good energy and genial humor at play, and the wistful idea that 2005 was basically the last time something like this would even get made and released into theaters. We have so much fun! Check it out!
Brian's Twitter: https://x.com/SchmanthonyP
Brian's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/schmanthonyp.bsky.social
Rob's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/wormsgreenrealm.bsky.social
Rob's Substack: https://artofilliterates.substack.com/
Daniel's Twitter: https://x.com/DanielGorman20
Daniel's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/danielgorman20.bsky.social
Theme Song: "Any Day Can Be Bicycle Day" by Ether Driver ( https://etherdiver.bandcamp.com/ )
We welcome the lovely Michael Chau (@srirachachau) onto the show to talk about yet another real doozy, Tim Burton's massive hit remake CHARLIE & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY. We discuss the film's strangely adversarial relationship to its beloved predecessor, Burton's tone-deaf restorations and destructive additions to the narrative, Johnny Depp's bizarre, catastrophic lead performance, Freddie Highmore's blank ass face, and somehow a lengthy discussion of Aaron Rodgers and his rancid personality?
We had a blast, check it out!
Brian's Twitter: https://x.com/SchmanthonyP
Brian's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/schmanthonyp.bsky.social
Rob's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/wormsgreenrealm.bsky.social
Rob's Substack: https://artofilliterates.substack.com/
Michael's Twitter: https://x.com/Srirachachau
Michael's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/srirachachau.bsky.social
Theme Song: "Any Day Can Be Bicycle Day" by Ether Diver ( https://etherdiver.bandcamp.com/ )
The man, the myth, behind our intrepid theme song, Cory "Ether Diver" Casciato joins us to pick apart the absolute juggernaut that is WEDDING CRASHERS, to try and figure out why on Earth this, of all films, was the first R-rated comedy to ever hit $200 million at the box office. Was it simply the power of Vince Vaughn's motormouth coke energy and Owen Wilson's laconic charm? We discuss the "Frat Pack" era, when the dominant strain of mainstream comedy was immature manchildren trying to reconnect with their past, and discuss how foreign that feels now that we have arrived at the ages of the characters in this film.
Brian's Twitter: https://x.com/SchmanthonyP
Brian's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/schmanthonyp.bsky.social
Rob's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/wormsgreenrealm.bsky.social
Rob's Substack: https://artofilliterates.substack.com/
Cory's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/etherdiver.bsky.social
Theme Song: "Any Day Can Be Bicycle Day" by Ether Diver ( https://etherdiver.bandcamp.com/ )
In one of our absolute best episodes yet, our wonderful longtime pal David Neary joins us to discuss one of the most picked-apart films on our list, Tim Story's 2005 adaptation of FANTASTIC FOUR! We discuss the series' comic origins, the difficulty with adapting these earnest, perennially-arguing Silver Age characters to modern screens, genre's cinema's fundamental buy-in w/r/t suspension of disbelief, and the revelation that we all secretly kinda liked this? We delve into TopTrumps, Heroclix, and the delicious Flame-Broiled Whopper(©)!
As I said, we had an absolute blast on this episode, one of my favorites that we've done so far, and you should absolutely check it out!
Brian's Twitter: https://x.com/SchmanthonyP
Brian's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/schmanthonyp.bsky.social
Rob's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/wormsgreenrealm.bsky.social
Rob's Substack: https://artofilliterates.substack.com/
David's Twitter: https://x.com/DeusExCinema
No one in our recent scheduling chaos has been bounced around more than Katie Conaglen but we’re so glad we finally got to record because she is absolutely essential to picking through the befuddling wreckage that is Nora Ephron’s BEWITCHED, an adaptation of the 60s sitcom seemingly no one wanted to make and no one had a good angle on, but what they eventually settle on is a BAFFLING misfire and you’ve gotta hear this amazing conversation with Katie!
We discuss the bizarre oil-and-water pairing of Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell, made worse by nonsensical character motivations, scattershot plotting and a wavering tone that makes you ask “what emotion am I even supposed to be feeling right now?”
This movie is the kind of forgotten detritus that this show is made for, and Katie is an amazing guest, check it out!
Brian's Twitter: https://x.com/SchmanthonyP
Brian's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/schmanthonyp.bsky.social
Rob's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/wormsgreenrealm.bsky.social
Rob's Substack: https://artofilliterates.substack.com/
Katie’s Twitter: https://x.com/katrinaconaglen
Happy 17th birthday Charlotte!!!
https://x.com/schmanthonyp/status/1958490760271040775https://bsky.app/profile/schmanthonyp.bsky.social/post/3lwvtgqfv2k2u
We make up for being a day late by bringing you the most hotly anticipated episode of this entire project in Steven Spielberg's harrowing, gargantuan WAR OF THE WORLDS and offering up two of the most prestigious and amazing guests we've had so far, the brilliant and prominent critic Bilge Ebiri (Vulture/The New Yorker) and one of the smartest and funniest guys running these Twitter streets in Alex Watkins (@thamosdeaf)
We go DEEP for our second-longest episode so far, we discuss the perennial father/son fault line that runs through Spielberg's work, Cruise's disastrous public-relations tour that tainted the reputation of the film itself, the film's overwhelming evocation of 9/11 imagery, a kickass laser prog rock opera, the dangers of peanut allergies and the Tao of Michael Porter Jr.This was an incredible conversation and we had SO much fun, please check this out and tell everyone you know!
Note: My microphone was malfunctioning for the first about 40 minutes of the episode; it's not THAT bad but it's not my usual standard and if it bothers you, note that It Gets Better lol*
Brian's Twitter: https://x.com/SchmanthonyP
Brian's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/schmanthonyp.bsky.social
Rob's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/wormsgreenrealm.bsky.social
Rob's Substack: https://artofilliterates.substack.com/
Bilge's Twitter: https://x.com/BilgeEbiri
Bilge's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bilgeebiri.bsky.social
Bilge Ebiri on Vulture: https://www.vulture.com/author/bilge-ebiri/
Alex's Twitter: https://x.com/thamosdeaf
Amy Nicholson - How YouTube and Internet Journalism Destroyed Tom Cruise, Our Last Real Movie Star
This journey was TOO TREACHEROUS FOR GUESTS. Rob & Brian go guest-less as we discuss the astonishing success of the nature documentary MARCH OF THE PENGUINS.!
We dig into the deep history of documentaries that found themselves as box office successes, we debate the moral and entertainment validity of the format, its strange transition from France to America, the long cultural tail of Morgan Freeman as the "Voice of God" and if it's even feasible for a documentary to have this sort of success in the modern world.
This was so much more fun and engaging than I anticipated, come on and check it out!
Brian's Twitter: https://x.com/SchmanthonyP
Brian's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/schmanthonyp.bsky.social
Rob's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/wormsgreenrealm.bsky.social
Rob's Substack: https://artofilliterates.substack.com/
Everything Takes Place, Even Dreams (Dunson Movies, 2020) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFNCqaMUZRw
The Dreamcast Files - Beyond Infinity: How a Bad Buzz Lightyear Game Reignited My Love for Gaming - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHTmdt2ZJVc&t=2684s&ab_channel=SchmidGame-DreamcastFiles
Our brilliant and beloved pal Katie Stebbins joins us to deconstruct HERBIE: FULLY LOADED, a bizarre attempt to resurrect a justly forgotten old-school Disney property for a modern era, and the result has the same stupid issues its forebears did. We dive deep on the entire LOVE BUG franchise, lament how queer black woman directors are rarely allowed to fail upward like their white male brethren, dwell on how deeply unsympathetic the titular car is in the narrative, and take a look at Lindsay Lohan in basically her last moment as a teen star before plummeting into tabloid abyss. We also recommend a great SURVIVOR season for beginners, and I get to talk about how Tony Stewart killed a guy! JOIN US!
AURORA 4-EVER <3
Brian's Twitter: https://x.com/SchmanthonyP
Brian's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/schmanthonyp.bsky.social
Rob's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/wormsgreenrealm.bsky.social
Rob's Substack: https://artofilliterates.substack.com/
Katie's Twitter: https://x.com/_katiestebbins_
Katie's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/feminaridens.bsky.socialTheme Song: "Any Day Can Be Bicycle Day" by Ether Driver ( https://etherdiver.bandcamp.com/ )
We snag up two of my favorite Newfoundlanders, the great Doug Tilley of the vast Cinema Smorgasbord podcasting episode, and contributions from the lovely TJ Dobbin, who was so wonderful on the SIN CITY episode, as we go DEEP on the origins of the Caped Crusaders with BATMAN BEGINS.
We discuss how much of a not-sure thing a new, serious Batman film was in the post-Schumacher wilds, Liam Neeson's ridiculous haircut, the extent to which a family of billionaires can charitably be called "ethical", Cillian Murphy's sumptuous lips, my distaste for origin stories, my mom being rude to Adam West, and just what this film did to be called JoBlo Dot Com's Best Film of 2005.
Brian's Twitter: https://x.com/SchmanthonyP
Brian's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/schmanthonyp.bsky.social
Rob's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/wormsgreenrealm.bsky.social
Rob's Substack: https://artofilliterates.substack.com/
Doug's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/dougtilley.bsky.social
Cinema Smorgasbord: https://www.cinemasmorgasbord.com/
TJ's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tjamesdobbin.bsky.social
TJ's Substack: https://strawberrypenguin.substack.com/
Theme Song: "Any Day Can Be Bicycle Day" by Ether Driver ( https://etherdiver.bandcamp.com/ )
Longtime friend of the show Scott Nye (@railoftomorrow) joins us to pick apart Doug Liman's MR. & MRS. SMITH, a staggering mess of a movie seemingly designed to draft off of its main characters' couples' charisma, but in a bizarre reversal, they were both dating other people and only became a couple after this film, which also fueled a tabloid mania that pushed this empty, broken garbage fire of a film to the top 10 of the year.
We dive deep on this film's lame, pointlessly gendered conception of the murder business, how and why this film and Brad Pitt's public persona has been so uniquely poisoned in the wake of his abuse scandal, and well as Adam Brody being the only man in this film awarded for his status as a Choice Hottie. JOIN US!!!
Brian's Twitter: https://x.com/SchmanthonyP
Brian's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/schmanthonyp.bsky.social
Rob's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/wormsgreenrealm.bsky.social
Rob's Substack: https://artofilliterates.substack.com/
Scott's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/railoftomorrow.bsky.social
Theme Song: "Any Day Can Be Bicycle Day" by Ether Driver ( https://etherdiver.bandcamp.com/ )
The great SCOUT TAFOYA (The Unloved, But God Made Him a Poet: Watching John Ford in the 21st Century, The Black Book: An Anthony Mann Reader) joins us for a lively conversation on all manner of topics centered around Ron Howard's period boxing drama CINDERELLA MAN. We discuss strong performances from Crowe, Zellweger and Giamatti, Howard's nebulous positions on topics political and social, the power of well-executed melodrama, the value of a well places cell phone to the dome, the absolute travesty done to Max Baer, and the enduring mystery of why the hell this prime cut of Oscar bait was released on the first weekend of June?!
Brian's Twitter: https://x.com/SchmanthonyP
Brian's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/schmanthonyp.bsky.social
Rob's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/wormsgreenrealm.bsky.social
Rob's Substack: https://artofilliterates.substack.com/
Scout's Twitter: https://x.com/Honors_Zombie
Scout's Bluesky:
https://bsky.app/profile/honorszombie.bsky.social
The Unloved:
https://www.rogerebert.com/contributors/scout-tafoya
But God Made Him a Poet: https://www.amazon.com/But-God-Made-Him-Poet/dp/B0D97P3TP3
Theme Song: "Any Day Can Be Bicycle Day" by Ether Driver ( https://etherdiver.bandcamp.com/ )