The Silver Linings Playlist

It had been 18 years since the last entry in the 28 (or 28 x Later …) franchise, but Danny Boyle and Alex Garland’s return could not have been more welcomed. While 28 Years Later was incredibly divisive (especially due to that ending), no one could argue that this entry into this infected (read: zombie) property wasn’t unique and refreshing. We love this one and hope you do too. So hold onto your...

Remember 2007’s Next ? No? Don’t worry – you’re not alone. This Nic Cage vehicle is one of his more forgotten outputs from the past 20 years and for good reason. A plot that truly doesn’t make any sense is only outweighed by apathetic performances and even lazier direction. Couple all of that with what has to be one of the most insulting endings to a movie ever and you’ve got a recipe for disaster...

This holiday season, we here at The Silver Linings Playlist proudly present to you a very special gift in the form of a super-sized episode. And what better movie to talk about for 2 and a half hours than the much conferred (and often criticized) Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith . Where does this one fall in the legacy of Star Wars flicks? Is it better than you remember? We’ll let you...

It’s been 20 years since the “gay cowboy movie” split Western culture in two, but Brokeback Mountain is so much more than its prejudicial and controversial reputation. A film that arguably should have won Best Picture more than any other movie in its respective year, it unabashedly wears its heart on its sleeve and dares you to look away. Saddle up and come along with us as we celebrate this film’...

Just in time for the holidays, the boys are back to kick off Season 9! We’re fired up to talk about Aronofsky’s latest flick Caught Stealing – a big departure from his usual style of storytelling. It doesn’t quite work as well as we had hoped, but there’s still a lot of good stuff in this black comedy crime thriller. So put on your Giants cap and buckle up as we discuss everything this one has to...

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the release of 1995's Showgirls , we're releasing this episode from our Patreon for non-members discussing how the film's reception has changed over the past 3 decades. If you like what you hear, sign up for the Patreon today. It's only $1 a month after a 7-day free trial, and you'll gain access to all the episodes of our other mini-ser...

To celebrate our 9 year anniversary of the show, we're sharing this episode of Showguys (originally released 1/1/2025) from our Patreon for all you non-members. In this episode, Nathan and Dustin discuss what a potential remake of Showgirls would look like, and one of them even casts a very topical actor of late. If you like what you hear, sign up for the Patreon today. It's only $1 a mo...

Parting is always such sweet sorrow, but don’t be so down that Season 8 has come to an end; be glad it happened in the first place. And we’re not leaving for our brief hiatus just yet because we have yet another film to discuss in the Michael Myers canon, and it’s the very divisive Halloween II from 1981. This one introduced the backstory that seemingly everyone hated, but if you look beyond that,...

So many movies and television shows owe a lot of their success to Akira . Stranger Things , The Matrix , Batman: The Animated Series – they all drew inspiration from this classic anime about a dystopian Japanese city riddled with violence, misery, and some of the coolest hand drawn visuals you’ll ever see. Is it the greatest anime feature of all time? Put on your coolest jacket and perform the sic...

We don’t often cover movies in the nunsploitation department, but Arkasha Stevenson’s prequel The First Omen is something special. It’s tough when you’re tasked with making a prelude to a true classic horror flick, but this film nails everything that made that original great while simultaneously crafting its own vision. In a post-overturning Roe v. Wade world, this movie has a lot to say about wom...

Saw V is not a good movie. In fact, some would argue it barely qualifies as one since it spends most of its 95-minute runtime showing the audience scenes from the previous four films and flashbacks that don’t amount to much. Couple that with one of the most milquetoast villains of all time in Hoffman and you’ve got yourself a pretty bland Saw entry. Good luck making sense of the timeline if you’re...

If you haven’t seen the first Slumber Party Massacre , don’t worry – there is no need to watch it if you want to enjoy our episode on Slumber Party Massacre II . This bizarre little movie from 1987 is barely a feature film, and that’s not just because it’s only 77 minutes long with credits. And yet there is so much to discuss in that short runtime. How good could a horror-comedy starring the heir...

Ethan, listen: switching gears entirely from last week’s episode, we’re diving into a film series and a movie star we somehow haven’t talked about yet in our show’s history. Tom Cruise took an IP that was somewhat forgotten, dusted it off, and turned it into a multibillion-dollar franchise. But Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning: Part One is the first time a movie in this series ends on a cliffh...

This week on TSLP, we’re discussing an incredibly divisive film from a director we haven’t dared to discuss until now. David Lynch was a mythical force amongst cinephiles and filmmakers alike, and while his work was often times impenetrable, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me left some fans and newcomers seething. Without context, could one even thread a cohesive narrative together from this film? List...

We’re back from our little break, and we’re back discussing the King of the Monsters. This version, however…not much of a king. Way back in 1998, Toho handed the keys to the kingdom over to TriStar Pictures to see what America could do with their everlasting, incredibly malleable kaiju, and what we got was a less than stellar representation. Godzilla is worse than you remember, and it’s a damn sha...

While we're away on a brief break for Nathan's wedding, we thought we'd bless all of you non-Patreon members with a gift. Here's the first episode we released in our bonus mini-series The Secret of the Duuudes, where every episode we're discussing a new property in the TMNT pantheon. If you like what you hear, sign up for the Patreon today. It's only $1 a month after...

Holy crap, we did it – we made it to 200 episodes! And it only took us 9 years. Anyway, to celebrate, we’re keeping that 2 theme going with the classic Back to the Future Part II . Did the actual 2015 live up to the idea of the future portrayed in the movie? Not even close, but what a fun time this one is. So grab your hoverboard & self-lacing sneakers and hop in the DeLorean with us as we tra...

We’re back in the Wizarding World yet again talking about a truly dreadful one this time. What good is a universe of wizards and fantastic beasts if everything is drained of color and everyone is miserable? If you were planning to escape the real world for two hours while watching Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore , you’ll be sadly disappointed to find there’s a lot of events and quotes...

Ooh, baby! We’re about to cross the 200-episode milestone of our show, and we have yet to cover a proper Friday the 13th movie. So we figured why not get one in at the last minute? Or at least the one where it’s not even Jason but an imposter. That’s right: if you’ve managed to avoid this spoiler for 40 years, Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning is one of the few Jason-less Friday the 13th fil...

Trap is truly one of those love-it-or-hate-it movies. Does it make sense? Absolutely not. Is it a hell of a fun ride? We think so – well, most of us. Can Cooper Trap get out of this sting operation masquerading as a pop concert? Hartnett is back and we couldn’t be happier seeing him in this wild film from the great M. Night Shyamalan. So grab your ticket, find your seat, and enjoy the refreshments...

If you’ve ever worked on a feature length film before, you know one thing is for certain: it’s a miracle any movie ever gets made. It’s even more impressive when a bunch of scrappy filmmakers set out to make one with close to nothing for a budget. Hell House LLC is the first of many sequels in an original franchise that may not be the best found footage horror movie of all time, but it’s definitel...

All aboard! Step onto The Midnight Meat Train with us as this week we’re talking about the 2008 box office bomb from Ryûhei Kitamura. Bradley Cooper is about to pop with The Hangover next year, but before he can do that he has to take a ride on the subway with Vinnie Jones in this strange horror thriller. Is this a secret hit? The only way to find out is to listen to our episode. So grab your trai...

As the great poet Gwen Stefani once said: this shit is bananas. 1977’s House (aka Hausu) is anything but conventional – piano monsters, mattress tornados, dancing skeletons, and a painting that spews blood. What doesn’t this movie have? For some it may be a bit too much, but for others it’s a feast for the eyes. So pack your bags and grab a slice of watermelon cause we’re going to Auntie’s house t...

We’re not quite done discussing bondage and all things kinky this week as we cover a movie we guarantee you’ve never heard of. 2000’s Jill Rips (also known as Jill the Ripper or Tied Up ) is such a bad movie that it defies explanation. With more fade-to-blacks than a TV show, this thing isn’t just poorly made – it’s boring too. But what isn’t boring is our episode. So suit up in your favorite late...

Valentine’s Day is this week – a special time of year where couples and crushes come together to celebrate their romance with one another. But one couple will be doing no such thing. Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey (totally real names) have some problems they need to work on (but they won’t.) Make no mistake: Fifty Shades of Grey is a terrible movie, and we’re here to tell you why. So grab you...