Peanuts & Popcorn

This week on Peanuts and Popcorn, we begin with the Popcorn and Tom’s selection from 1973, The Last of Sheila. Leo’s selection comes to us from Romania, the crime thriller, The Whistlers (2019). In Peanuts, there are some very interesting rookies in MLB this season. Who has the inside track on winning ROY? The politics of a number change and the AL Central is no longer the worst division in baseba...

This week on Peanuts and Popcorn, we open the popcorn bag to break down the Pedro Almodovar sex comedy, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988). We then discuss a request from a listener, Swingers (1996) with John Favreau and Vince Vaughn. In Peanuts, we mourn the passing of Whitey Herzog. We analyze some recent MLB umpire miscues. Max Fried, of the Atlanta Braves, pitches a Maddux. The C...

This week on Peanuts and Popcorn, we open the bag of popcorn with an underappreciated gem by Akira Kurosawa, Tom’s choice, High and Low (1963). Steve Soderbergh directed the star-studded project Leo suggested. Based on a novel by Elmore Leonard, Out of Sight (1998). In Peanuts, we react to the recent developments regarding Shohei Otani. One of them has nothing to do with gambling. The Cubs can hit...

This week on Peanuts and Popcorn, we open the Popcorn with Tom’s selection for today’s episode, the Wes Anderson film, Rushmore (1998). For Leo, we go back to 1974 for the Lords of Flatbush. In Peanuts, the 2024 season is underway. We’ll predict the teams who will qualify for the playoffs as well as the fortunes for the Cubs and Tigers. We’ll react to a guest column in the New York Times by Rafi K...

This week on Peanuts and Popcorn, the 2024 Oscars have come and gone, we will examine Tommy’s uncanny ability to select the winners in nearly every category. We then review our respective selections. Leo's choice, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, and Tom’s, The Zone of Interest.  In Peanuts, as we near Opening Day, we make our predictions as to how the Cubs and Tigers will fare. Mazel Tov t...

This week on Peanuts and Popcorn, we start with an extra-long Popcorn. First up, two more reviews of the nominees for Best Picture of 2023: Anatomy of a Fall, and American Fiction. We will also reveal our favorites for the major Oscar categories---as well as predict the winners. In an abbreviated version of peanuts, we’ll talk about another Black Ace, former Twin and Guardian, Mudcat Grant. Cody B...

This week on Peanuts and Popcorn, we start with the popcorn with our reviews of two more Best Picture nominees, Leo's pick, Bradley Cooper’s Maestro, and Tom’s pick, Poor Things with Emma Stone. In Peanuts, we open the bag with great hope and anticipation as Spring Training has begun in Arizona and Florida. Players in both sites are having difficulties with the Nike’s special Spring Training u...

This week on Peanuts and Popcorn, we kick off our 8th season with our Popcorn discussion on the 2023 nominees for Best Picture. We’ll start with Tom’s choice, The Holdovers, then move to Leo’s pick, Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon. In Peanuts, we react to the 2024 Baseball Hall of Fame inductees, the Dodgers signing of Shohei Otani and the Cubs firing of David Ross and subsequent hiri...

This week on the final episode of the 2023 season, we open the bag of Popcorn by going back to 1975 for my movie, Rocky, before we break down Tommy’s final pick of the season, Zodiac. Then we will announce the winners our annual Poppy Awards for this year’s best P&P Movies. In Peanuts, the World Series has come and gone, the Texas Rangers won in 5 games over the Arizona Diamondbacks and despit...

This week on Peanuts and Popcorn… we begin with Robert Altman’s, The Long Goodbye (1973) and end with Norman Jewison’s, Other People’s Money (1991). In Peanuts, we react to recent events in playoff baseball as the Texas Rangers and the Arizona Diamondbacks face off in the World Series. Dusty Baker announces his retirement after 28 years as a big-league manager. The playoff format has been a source...

This week on Peanuts and Popcorn…we open the bag of popcorn with Tommy’s selection from 2010, Tony Scott’s, Unstoppable. Next, we break down Leo’s choice for this week, John Huston’s, Prizzi’s Honor (1985). In Peanuts, the League Championship Series are set, and some unlikely teams have made their way to Baseball’s Final Four. We’ll answer the question, is the current playoff format fair to the hi...

This week on Peanuts and Popcorn…We open a steaming bag of hot-buttered popcorn with a double-feature of excellent features, Ang Lee’s, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. We then break down Tommy’s choice, Martin Scorcese’s After Hours. In Peanuts, with a clear(er) picture of the playoff matchups, we make our picks for the first round. Finally, the Cubs just miss out on the playoffs, was the season a...

This week on Peanuts and Popcorn… we start with the popcorn as we begin with Leo’s selection, the 1996 Barry Levinson effort, Sleepers. Then we discuss the final film of Tom’s pet project of Best Picture winners that he has not seen on the big screen, Ridley Scott’s Gladiator. Then we chew down the peanuts as the Atlanta Braves win their sixth straight NL East title. The Boston Red Sox fire Chaim...

This week on Peanuts and Popcorn… we start with a fresh batch of popcorn with Leo’s selection, JJ Abrams’ Super 8. Tom’s choice for this episode is the third of four Best Picture winners that he has not seen on the big screen: Terms of Endearment. In Peanuts, Shohei Otani tore a ligament, but there are questions as to how serious it is. After shots are fired from within, or from outside their home...

This week on Peanuts and Popcorn… we begin with a big bag of Popcorn with Tom’s choice for this week, Robert Redford’s Ordinary People. Leo’s choice is a favorite from 23 years ago, Billy Elliot. In Peanuts, we lead off with a discussion on why so many plays that would normally be called errors are ruled as hits. We catch up on Kevin Brown’s return to the airwaves as well as the latest news on Wan...

This week on Peanuts and Popcorn… we open up the bag of popcorn as we review Tom’s choice, The Greatest Show on Earth. Up next is Leo's choice, Oppenheimer. In Peanuts, we begin with a reaction to MLB Commissioner, Rob Manfred, earning a four-year extension. Does he deserve it? We will tell a tale of two no-hitters, one in the best of times, the other in the worst. We also examine the state of...

This week on Peanuts and Popcorn… we begin with Tommy’s choice in honor of the passing of Treat Williams with Prince of the City. Our second feature is the Jim Jarmusch effort, starring Forrest Whitaker, Ghost Dog. In “Peanuts”, we discuss the awful All-Star uniforms. We also find that the Baltimore Orioles have overtaken Tampa Bay for first place in the best division in baseball. Will they trade...

This week on Peanuts and Popcorn… The double-feature film discussion begins with Tom's selection, Le Samourai . We then move to Leo's choice, The Full Monty . In “Peanuts”, the Reds, Diamondbacks and Orioles are at or near the top of their respective divisions. We’ll discuss how they have all taken advantage of the new rule changes. Commissioner, Rob Manfred, reveals he is having second th...

This week on Peanuts and Popcorn… we kick off our double feature with Bogart and Bacall in To Have and Have Not , while our second film is the 1955 Burt Lancaster directorial debut, The Kentuckian. In Peanuts, we discuss the retirement of friend of the show, Bartolo Colon. We’ll also react to a recent Jayson Stark column in The Athletic. Stephen Strasburg has another setback. Finally, we mourn the...

This week on Peanuts and Popcorn… We open up the bag of “Popcorn” with Tom’s choice, the W. C. Fields 1934 film, It’s a Gift . Leo’s choice is a slightly more modern selection, the re-imagining of the Cyrano de Bergerac classic, Roxanne . In “Peanuts”, we’ll react to Jayson Stark’s list of active players who may be headed to the Hall of Fame. We’ll ask the question, “What has happened to the no-hi...

This week on Peanuts and Popcorn… our first Popcorn selection is Tommy’s choice, the 1970’s film-noir classic, Night Moves. Our second film, chosen by Leo, is the more recent film about the prosecution of the military dictatorship in Santiago Mitre’s, Argentina 1985. In Peanuts, it has been two and half years since MLB announced they would integrate Negro League stats into the historical database....

This week on Peanuts and Popcorn… we begin with Tom’s"Popcorn" selection, the Akira Kurosawa film, Ikiru and we pivot to Leo's choice, thecross-dressing classic, Tootsie. In “Peanuts”, we examine the issue of robotumpires. We take a look at the YouTube documentary, Last Comiskey. TheOakland A’s will soon have the dubious distinction of having changed addressesfour times. Cubs’ lefty, Drew Smiley,...

This week on Peanuts and Popcorn… We begin with Tom’s choice, Robert Mitchum in a film noir classic, Out of the Past,next up in this week’s double feature will be Excalibur, by John Boorman. In “Peanuts”, the Tampa Bay Rays are off andrunning. Shades of the ’84 Tigers? AJ Hinch benches Javy Baez after a baserunning blunder. How bad have things gotten in Detroit? The Cubs areselling beer bats, all...

This week on P&P, our Popcorn talk highlights the strong supporting work of Harvey Keitel.  First, we discuss Leo’s choice, Smoke. We then conclude with Tom’s selection, the Martin Scorsese classic, Taxi Driver.   Next up: Tom’s pick: Out of the Past (1947) and Leo’s pick: Excalibur (1981). In “Peanuts”, we go through the highs and lows of the World Baseball Classic as MLB makes somesmall chan...

This week on Peanuts and Popcorn… We open the bag of Popcorn as the 2023 Oscars have come and gone. We’ll react to the winners and losers as well asdiscuss two films, Martin Scorcese’s, The King of Comedy (1982) and Lion (2016), starring Dev Patel. Next up: Tom’s pick: Taxi Driver (1976) and Leo’s pick: Smoke (1995). In Peanuts, the World Baseball Classic is rolling along. The US defeats Venezuela...