The Weekly Movie Throwdown

This week, we welcome author Laura Carney and filmmaker Gerik Gooch to the show to draft 20th-century summer blockbusters like Jaws , The Empire Strikes Back , and Batman . Which player wins in the end? Check out the episode and decide. Find Laura Carney's work at bylauracarney.com , and pick up her book My Father's List here. Find Gerik Gooch on Instagram here . Folllow the show on social media a...

It's often said that Rob Cohen's The Fast and the Furious from 2001 is the same film as Kathryn Bigelow's Point Break from 1991, but with cars instead of surfboards. Well this week on the show, Mike and Steven get to the bottom of that notion and talk through these two films to find out if that thinking is sound. Folllow the show on social media and vote for a winner each week. YOUTUBE: youtube.co...

On this week's episode, we delve into the world of Steven Spielberg with a throwdown between two of his most discussed sci-fi films. Close Encounters of the Third Kind from 1977 goes up against Disclosure Day , which is in theaters now. It's an interesting examination of his fascination with aliens and how that's changed (or hasn't) in the fifty years between films. Folllow the show on social medi...

On this week's episode, Mike and Steven host an interesting throwdown between two films that feature reluctant criminals with hearing conditions at their center. From 2017, it's Edgar Wright's Baby Driver , going up against Daniel Roher's Tuner from 2026. Both are excellent films, so this was a tough one for the guys to parse out. Tune in to see where they land! Folllow the show on social media an...

This week on the Weekly Movie Throwdown , it's a battle between two films set primarily inside emergency vehicles. Martin Scorsese's Bringing Out the Dead from 1999 is a haunting character study of a man (played by Nicolas Cage) who can only find peace at his job as an EMT when he's saving lives. 2022's Ambulance , directed by Michael Bay, is a balls-to-the-wall adventure about two brothers (Jake...

In this week's episode, Mike and Steven go way back to the Golden Age of Hollywood to discuss a throwdown between two very different Katharine Hepburn/Cary Grant films. It's 1938's Bringing Up Baby, directed by Howard Hawks, going up against George Cukor's The Philadelphia Story from 1940. Helping them figure out which film is better is return guest author Laura Carney . It's a battle of excellent...

In this week's episode it's a throwdown between woman-led action tales, as 2017's Atomic Blonde takes on 2021's Gunpowder Milkshake . Two ass-kicking films with a lot of style and substance levels that are all over the map. Which one is better? Tune in and find out! Folllow the show on social media and vote for a winner each week. YOUTUBE: youtube.com/@MovieThrowdownPod INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/mo...

On this week's episode, it's a throwdown between two stories of toxic achievement, as Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan (2010) takes on Damien Chazelle's Whiplash (2015). Which film is better? Tune in to see which way Mike and Steven go, and find out where the social media voting landed. Folllow the show on social media and vote for a winner each week. YOUTUBE: youtube.com/@MovieThrowdownPod INSTAGRAM...

On the show this week, Mike and Steven host a throwdown between two legendary comedy classics, both from 1980. It's the Zucker/Abrahams production Airplane! going up against Harold Ramis' Caddyshack . Which one is better? It's a very tough call. Listen to find out where the guys land! Folllow the show on social media and vote for a winner each week. YOUTUBE: youtube.com/@MovieThrowdownPod INSTAGRA...

This week on the show, it's a battle of the B-movie directors as Joe Dante's homage to Hollywood showman William Castle, Matinee! , throws down against Tim Burton's biopic of the "worst director of all time," Ed Wood .  Which one represents its schlock-master better? Tune in to find out! Folllow the show on social media and vote for a winner each week. YOUTUBE: youtube.com/@MovieThrowdownPod...

This week on the podcast, it's a throwdown between two films that feature murder caught on tape, as Tony Scott's Enemy of the State takes on Steven Soderbergh's Kimi . Each is a treatise on technological and government overreach, told in its own distinct way. Which one does it better? Check out the episode to find out where Mike and Steven land. Folllow the show on social media and vote for a winn...

Batter up! This week on the show, it's a throwdown between two baseball classics: The Natural (1984) vs. Field of Dreams (1989). Both are beloved stories of fathers, sons, and the pursuit of a calling (literally in one of them!). With near-mythic journeys and Hollywood star power from Robert Redford and Kevin Costner, it wasn't easy to crown a winner. Listen to the episode to find out where Mike a...

This week's episode comes straight from the theater as we match two Andy Weir book adaptations against one another. 2015's The Martian , directed by Ridley Scott and starring Matt Damon, goes head to head with Project Hail Mary , the new film from directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller, starring Ryan Gosling . . . and a rock. Which one claims the interstellar crown? Listen and find out! And for more...

This week on the show, we move on from the musicals of last week to films about musicians in a throwdown that might be one of our favorites to date. It's That Thing You Do! from writer/director Tom Hanks, going up against John Carney's Sing Street. Two similar films with very different vibes. Which film will win this battle of the bands? Tune in and find out! Folllow the show on social media and v...

On this week's episode, the guys dive deep into Mike's wheelhouse: movie musicals. To celebrate Sunday's Oscars ceremony, this is a battle of Best Picture nominees from all the way back in 1964. It's the category winner, My Fair Lady , going up against fan favorite Mary Poppins. Which one is better? And which one deserved the statue? Listen to find out which way the guys go in this very different...

In this week's episode, it's a matchup of original vs. remake as Mike and Steven discuss The Taking of Pelham One Two Three . The original, directed by Joseph Sargent, is from 1974, and Tony Scott's remake is from 2009. Both are set in the New York underground, and both tell the same story, but in very different ways. Which one will win? The gritty seventies procedural? Or the slick, star-driven m...

This week, a couple pairs of crime-fighting "guys" square off to find out who takes home the crown. It's 2010's THE OTHER GUYS going up against THE NICE GUYS from 2016. Is a broad slapstick story the way to go here? Or is a tight, black comedy noir better? Whether you're into crime films, comedy, noir, or corporate corruption, this episode has something for you! Folllow the show on social media an...

In this episode, it's a battle of the ensemble rom-coms to round out February, as He's Just Not That Into You goes head-to-head with Crazy Stupid Love. Which one pulls off the big, star-studded cast better? And which one brings all the separate narratives together in a more pleasing way? If you love movie stars and modern romance, this episode of The Weekly Movie Throwdown is for you. Folllow the...

In this episode, it’s a “sex worker with a heart of gold” showdown as we compare Pretty Woman (1990) and Milk Money (1994). One became a cultural phenomenon, while the other struggled to find its audience. Was Pretty Woman destined for classic status from the start? Did Milk Money deserve better? And which film actually wins when you strip away nostalgia? If you love '90s rom-coms and spirited fil...

This week Mike and Steven match up a pair of movies that tell a similar story, made over fifteen years apart. It's Penny Marshall's BIG from 1988 versus 2004's 13 GOING ON 30 , directed by Gary Winick. Which is the better Kid-In-An-Adult-Body movie? Tune in to find out. And be sure to follow us on social media to cast your vote for next week's battle! Folllow the show on social media and vote for...

In this, the show's 100th episode, Mike and Steven pit two tales of high school longing against one another.1998's Can't Hardly Wait takes on 2009's I Love You, Beth Cooper. One of these films is inarguably better than the other, but the guys still talk it out in a fun and thoughtful conversation. If you love teen comedies, rom-com debates, or arguing about movies you grew up with, you'll want to...

In this episode, we put Days of Thunder and F1 head-to-head to settle the ultimate racing movie debate. From on-track realism and storytelling to star power and pure adrenaline, we break down which film truly delivers the best racing experience. Whether you're a fan of motorsports, movies, Tom Cruise, and Brad Pitt, or all of the above, this deep dive comparison is a lot of fun. Folllow the show o...

This week Mike and Steven go back to their childhoods to pit two legendary '80s action films against one another. It's Missing In Action (1984) vs. Rambo: First Blood Part II. Which of these two post-Vietnam POW extravaganzas is better? One has martial arts master Chuck Norris at its center, and the other box office megastar Sylvester Stallone. It's a battle for the ages, so listen in as the guys...

On this week's episode, Mike and Steven travel all the way back to 1999 to take a look at two similar—but also very different—heist films: Entrapment and The Thomas Crown Affair. Both films feature movie star powerhouses in Sean Connery and Pierce Brosnan, and both also have outstanding female lead performances from Catherine Zeta-Jones and Rene Russo, respectively. Who will win this battle of the...

Happy New Year and welcome to the new Weekly Movie Throwdown! In this episode, Mike and Steven debut a brand-new format that leans into the throwdown part of the show's name—pitting two movies with a shared DNA against each other, and your social media votes help to decide the winner. The first matchup? A bank heist movie showdown between Michael Mann’s crime classic Heat (1995) and Ben Affleck’s...