On this episode of Remainders we begin our French New Wave double feature with Richard Linklater’s film Nouvelle Vague. A love letter to the new wave movement, Linklater shows us the importance of the film era while also expressing how it influenced his own art and his unique style of realism and hangout vibes. Featuring both an endless supply of cigarettes and quotes on the importance of art in life, Nouvelle lets you live the French New Wave. Other topics include a James Bond Maratho...

On this episode of Remainders we finish our Kong Marathon with Peter Jackson’s 2005 King Kong. Released immediately after the Lord of the Rings trilogy, we check out how much of an influence that trilogy had on Peter Jackson’s love for the original movie. We offer our rankings for the marathon and see where this blockbuster holds up in Hollywood history. Other topics include Peter Jackson’s horror roots, iconic Jack Black roles, Andy Serkis, Lord of the Rings, Christmas time movie watching, t...

On this episode of Remainders we watch the 1976 King Kong. Part 2 of our King Kong marathon, the ’76 Kong is a beautifully oversized slice of disaster film madness, with plenty of spectacle and oily innuendo. With lots of camp and sincerity, we see where this stands in the marathon so far of the Hollywood icon. Other topics include the 70s film movement, Tarantino hot takes, the shifting culture of physical media and streaming, Simpsons nostalgia, and Loz Feliz and Punk Rock & Paintbrushe...

On this episode of Remainders we watch the 1933 classic King Kong. We begin our King Kong Marathon with the horror movie that started it all – everything from Godzilla, Jurassic Park, and every special effect in Hollywood all goes back to the Eighth Wonder of the World. We talk about the innovative stop motion, the role of Beauty and the Beast in cinema, how pre-code Hollywood affected the movies, and the importance of Kong in cinema history. Other topics include other Kong movies and the upc...

On this episode of Remainders, we watch the 1950 noir classic In A Lonely Place. Starring legends Humphrey Bogart and Gloria Grahame, it secured it’s place in Hollywood history as one of the best noirs of the era. Seemingly a murder mystery, Lonely Place is at heart the existential love story between two broken souls guaranteed to fall. A bleak Hollywood movie ahead of its time. Other topics include Nicholas Ray’s career and crossing paths with Jim Jarmusch, the tawdry love life of Gloria Gra...

On this episode of Remainders we watch the 1988 creature feature The Blob. Part Three of our 80s Horror Remakes Marathon, we close with the updated version of the 50s classic. Increased gore, practical effects, and big government paranoia, The Blob is a quintessential remake that maintains it’s B-movie style. Other topics include how the original 50s version holds up, other horror movies we’re watching in October, When We Were Young festival, John Carpenter in concert, and reappraisal for lat...

On this episode of Remainders we watch the 1986 horror classic The Fly. The second installment in our 80s Horror Remake Marathon, The Fly updates the 50s B-movie with far more devastation, tragedy, and Academy Award winning special effects, making it a staple in 80s horror practical effects. Jeff Goldblum plays Seth Brundle, an awkward scientist and inventor of a teleportation device. When he transports himself with a fly, he begins a slow, painful transformation into the Fly that mirrors the...

On this episode of Remainders we watch the classic John Carpenter film, The Thing. To start our 80s Horror Remake marathon, we begin with John Carpenter’s remake about a group of researchers facing off against an alien lifeform capable of imitating any life form. A classic study of paranoia, The Thing has gone from box-office bomb to all-time classic. We get into the practical effects, horror themes, and masterful direction, the legendary careers of John Carpenter and Kurt Russell, and the le...

On this episode of Remainders we watch the 1994 comedy The Stoned Age. Two stoner buddies, Joe and Hubbs, cruise suburban Los Angeles in search of beer, chicks, and a good time. Certainly a product of its time, with comically obvious influence from Bill & Ted, Wayne's World, and Dazed and Confused, this forgotten 90s gem is ripe for potential cult status. Other topics include 90s teen sex comedies, the loss of Robert Redford, Riot Fest, Darren’s new artwork for Punk Rock & Paintbrushe...

On this episode of Remainders we watched Spike Lee’s 25th Hour, the Edward Norton drama about a drug dealer’s final night of freedom before heading to prison. Shot in New York right after 9/11, the movie feels right in the moment, with grief, uncertainty, and the sense that there’s no tomorrow. We talk about the ideas like mortality, facing consequences, and what accountability really looks like when time’s running out. We also get into about the outstanding cast: Barry Pepper, Philip Seymour...

On this episode of Remainders, we watch the 90s cult classic Joe Versus the Volcano. An often overlooked movie in Tom Hanks early career, Joe Versus the Volcano is a classic Hollywood screwball comedy that rightfully has gained a cult following since its release. With themes of death, mortality, and the meaning of life, the heady vibes will continue to garner new fans for years. Other topics include Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, director John Patrick Shanley, Flashback Horror Weekend in Chicago, Joe D...

Rip some throats and lube up the celery, because on this very special episode of Remainders we watch the 2010 cult classic MacGruber. We dive deep into the very last, and possibly best, SNL movie. Insanely confident as a comedy playing it straight as an 80s action movie, we check out why this absurdist masterpiece works so well. Crude, chaotic, and classic MacGruber. Other topics include the careers of Will Forte, Val Kilmer and Powers Boothe, Christopher Nolan’s love for MacGruber, Jon Hamm ...

On this episode of Remainders we watch the 2001 movie Bully. Based on a true story about a Florida murder, Bully is directed by Larry Clark of Kids fame. Capturing that same sense of aimless and amoral young people, Bully is a brutal and terrifying account of a group of kids planning to murder the monstrous Bobby, played by Nick Stahl. Bobby is the source of abuse and anguish for Marty, played by Brad Renfro, and their friendship spurs their friends to react. Mean, dirty, and slightly horrify...

On this episode of Remainders we watch the 2005 film A History of Violence. David Cronenberg adapts the graphic novel by John Wagner about a small town family man who becomes a local hero after killing two men during an armed robbery. This gets the attention of a mob boss who believes Tom is a man with a violent past. Beast mode performances by Viggo Mortenson, Ed Harris, and William Hurt elevate A History of Violence into epic territory. Other topics include Viggo’s career post-Lord of the R...

On this episode of Remainders we watch the 2000 film The Beach. Leo’s first major role to come after the star making success of Titanic, time has been kind to this movie about disaffection and discovery in a pre-9/11 world with emerging technology. Directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland, the film’s roster has also led to a decades later reappraisal. If anything, The Beach is an incredible time capsule of late 90s/early 2000s culture and zeitgeist. Other topics include Danny Boyle...

On this episode of Remainders, we watch the 2003 war epic Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. Based on the series of novels, Master and Commander is a chase movie that goes much deeper. Russell Crowe plays Captain "Lucky" Jack Aubrey, and Paul Bettany plays Dr. Stephen Maturin. The Captain represents leadership and duty, and the Dr. represents academia and revolution. As they chase the elusive French war ship The Acheron, the two men both test and help each other during the Napol...

On this episode of Remainders we watch the 2002 movie Insomnia. The only movie in Christoher Nolan’s filmography in which he doesn’t have a writing credit, Insomnia has always felt like an outlier in the director’s career. It’s most notable aspect was Robin Williams and his villainous role as Finch, a first for Williams. Playing opposite the most strung out possible version of Al Pacino, we see if this thriller holds up. Other topics include Nolan’s ranking, follow-up on our Mad Max Fury Road...

On this episode we celebrate the 10th anniversary of Mad Max: Fury Road - Black and Chrome Edition. Often considered the greatest action film of all time, Fury Road reintroduced the world to Max, this time played by Tom Hardy, as he teams up with Furiosa to take on the dystopian warlord Immortan Joe. George Miller’s stated intention was to make a movie that was one long chase, and as elemental and close to a silent film as possible. The Black and Chrome Edition brings this vision even closer....

On this episode of Remainders we watch the 1997 political sci-fi movie Starship Troopers. Dismissed upon release as a generic action movie, time has been kind to this movie about fascism and soldier recruitment in a pro-war society. A militarized society in the future waging war against a sub-human alien species, Starship has gained cultural appreciation as a meta-film about wartime propaganda. A first-time viewing for one, we’ll see if this is a dumb, fun movie or an indictment of fascism. O...

On this episode we watch 2005’s The Descent. A year after tragedy strikes, a group of friends discover something far worse in the deep caverns of the Appalachian Mountains. This spelunking splatter fest is a contender for many titles, including best horror movie of the 2000s, most objectionable thing to watch for anybody with even the slightest claustrophobia, and having maybe one of the worst best friends in all of horror movie history. Listen up as we also thoroughly debate the appropriate ...