Back to the Balcony

In a complete reversal for Halloween, a movie about whimsy instead of horror as guests Christine Wuergler and Kristian Reimer join Jimmy England and Ryan Sim to talk about 1950's Harvey. It's a movie Jimmy picked and wonder of wonders, they loved it! Even Ryan - who hadn't seen it - was so intrigued he wanted to go home and watch it. A fun and funny episode that'll make you want to seek out the mo...

A movie designed to make you re-examine your relationship with friends. But did friends ever behave like this? Or are they too well off to be relatable? Will Jimmy and guest Mario Bernardi re-examine their friendship? Were they ever friends? Find out htis and more in another fun and funny episode.

Jimmy gets Ryan Sim to watch The Maltese Falcon and blows his mind. They talk about the cast, the legacy and Ryan's newfound facination with Bogie, an actor he had never seen before and how being in black and white really works for the movie. 

Mario Bernardi and Chris Jarvie are back and they're not monkeying around - that, by the way, is the only money joke you'll hear about the original Planet of the Apes. A ground-breaker for non-human make-up, it also introduced a concept that spawned TV shows and movies right up until today. But does the original hold up or is it just a curiousity. The answer might surprise you.

Larry Smith returns with a bee in his bonnet for the movie Dick Tracy. Larry is totally in love with this movie despite some reservations. Listen to what makes it special for him while Jimmy and engineer Greg (to a lesser degree) roll thier eyes. No really, you might be able to hear them do it.

Women are delicate flowers, right? Sometimes but new guest Kelly Holt breaks the mould with her spirited praise of the movie Road House. Guest engineer Greg Dobrowski doesn't help matters with his enthusiastic support, leaving Jimmy wondering what he's missing. 

We never thought we'd see a film chosen by guest Bob Kerr we'd actually enjoy. But honest to Peter, Killer Klowns From Outer Space is so quirky and daffy it defies logic and we liked it, we genuinely liked it. We love all our podcasts with Bob, but this just might be our favourite.

To say this episode went off the rails very quickly is an understatement. Somehow guest Ryan Sim and engineer Phil (in one of his last engineering spots) ended up at lagerheads over the existence of aliens. Somehow though, they found time to review the movie. A lot of passion between believers and non-believers, this is the episode that might unleash social media hell.

A Hollywood comedy director wants to make the great American Drama - it does not go well. Jimmy England wants guest Chris Wuergler and engineer Phil to like it as much as he does. It does not go well. One of the great screwball comedies of all time with a serious core.

If you feel the "need for speed", maybe a movie about a bus isn't your first choice but if you like high-octane adventure and thrills but don't care about reality then Speed is the movie for you. Guest Chris Wuergler and engineer Phil (not surprisingly), loved it. Jimmy just went along for the ride. Another fun episode.

Yes it's our 250th episode as Jimmy and Phil reflect on it all and Phil makes a big announcement. But wait! They also made each other watch a movie as well to talk about. Jimmy chose Sunset Boulevard (and pointed out the surprising similarity to it and the life of Mae West). And Phil chose the modern noir classic, L.A. Confidential. A little nostalgia, a lot of fun.

Guest Ryan Visser joins Jimmy to find the Meaning of Life but find only a legendary sketch group's most underappreciated film or an absurdist train wreck. No one is neutral about this movie.

Guest Mitch McBeaudry displays an impressive amount of religious knowledge while extolling the virtues of the outragious 1999 movie Dogma. Is it intentionally confrontational to religion or is it about a crisis of faith. Funny as always but surprisingly deep and interesting.

Considered by many - including guest Mario Bernardi - to be one of the funniest movies ever made. Both funny and disturbing by today's standards is it still good enought to survive as one of the classics of all times? A fascinating and hilarious examination of what it takes to be timeless.

Another exception as we wander into the new century to test guest Chris Jarvie's theory that the Pixar movie Cars is the greatest movie ever made about, well, cars. Mario Bernardi wades in with his opinion and what happens is a first rate review full of laughs and insights.

What can we say that's new about Raiders of the Lost Ark. Turns out, a lot. Kristian Reimer joins us for what turned into a far ranging and often hilarious discussion about Raiders. Is it a timeless masterpiece that deserved more recognition at Oscar time or just another adventure film? Listen, and judge for yourself.

Scott Faulconbridge is back and he's talking about a movie that's totally different from what he's brought in the past - 1996's Fargo. But is it really all that different? Jimmy think so but Scott makes a convincing argument for a quirky, black comedy masterpiece. He brings a unique vision - if for no other reason than for where he saw it. Funny and engaging. 

Phil and Jim get together again to watch each other's movie choice and discuss them. Phil made Jim watch Inception and Jim made Phil watch Key Largo. Jim got confused, Phil got bemused. So who do you think got it right?

Happy Valentine's Day everybody. It's our special Valentine's episode with everybody's favourite cutie pie Chris Wuergler. Chris brings a little magic with her movie for lovers, 1998's Practical Magic. But is it all that magical? Or practical for that matter. As usual with Chris, it's another fun episode.

It's a different time, a time when the world was black and white and nothing made sense - especially the movie The Big Sleep. It was Chris Wuergler's choice but even she can't make sense of it. What is there about this film noir classic that nobody on the podcast is getting. Maybe it's just the mystique of Bogie? Listen to find out. Another fun episode.

Predator is like catnip to guys - it drives them crazy. Jimmy and Phil host Nik Duncan and surprise guest Ryan Sim to talk about the Sylvester Stallone macho-fest Predator and it turns into three guys wild about the movie while Jimmy rolls his eyes. There must be something to it because the podcast has never seen such enthusiasm. Lots of fun - mostly at Jimmy's expense.

Chris Jarvie and Mario Bernardi return to talk about the sequel to The Thin Man. After finding the original better than they expected, Jimmy pushed them to check out the sequel. Did they like it? Well, some real surprises on that front. It might just convince you to check out an old movie for yourself.

Our second special Christmas episode takes a look at The Muppet Christmas Carol with guests Chris Jarvie and Christine Kinahan. How does it compare to the classic 1951 version? And is a comparison even fair? Has it enhanced the original or just cashed in with Disneylike touches that blow up what Dickens was trying to say? Or is it just a light piece of fluff we all need at Christmas? A fun listen...

Alistair Sim is easily the greatest Scrooge of all time in 1951's "A Christmas Carol" - or "Scrooge", as it's known in the UK. It's a movie that didn't have much success when released in North America but has gone on to become a beloved Christmas classic. Or is beloved to strong a word? Guest Ryan Sim doesn't think so - but then again he's related to Alistair Sim. It's a magical Christmas episode...

Guest Bret Measor wanted to talk about the remake of True Grit, not the original with John Wayne. Jimmy said no so Bret watched the original and blew both his socks off. The result is a fun romp as Bret finds himself starry eyed over one of the great icons of western movies. If it's a trifle long it's because he just had so much he wanted to talk about and we couldn't shut him up. The result is a...