A Film By...

What do San Francisco and whales have to do with Sci-Fi? Everything, when we're talking about Star Trek IV The Voyage Home! It's our biggest, vulcan episode ever, when Jeff beams aboard Dayton, David, Brad, and Scott for a debate about the time-traveling antics of Kirk, Spock, and the crew of the USS Enterprise heading back to 1986 to save the whales in the past to ensure Earth's future!

When loyalty is tested by obsession, betrayal leads to revenge! Known for his blockbuster films and penchant for flawed heroes, Tony Scott delivered his underrated, romantic thriller Revenge in 1990. Join us as we examine the morality of the characters, the transition of James Harrison's work from novella to film, and Scott's impressive credits.

Crime is a disease. Meet the cure! Jeff and Brad break down one of their favorites; Cobra! From its Beverly Hills Cop origin, to how involved director George P. Cosmatos really was, it's time to call the Cobra!

Best known for his extensive foray into the Fast & Furious universe, filmmaker Justin Lin has a knack for taking known franchises and giving them a fresh take. And before he finished the "Kelvin Timeline" of the recent Star Trek films, he crafted an odd, if not controversial mockumentary called Finishing the Game. Crafting a "what if?" tale around the completion of Bruce Lee's Game of Death, L...

Jeff is joined by 1986 regulars, Scott and Dayton, to discuss Running Scared; a buddy cop movie that delivers generously on cop tropes, and bad music (No, not you, Michael McDonald). Are Gregory Hines and Billy Crystal two of Chicago's Finest? This episode shines sweet freedom on the answers to this and other questions!

Doves. Guns. Explosions. The face-off between Brad and Jeff gets lively as they discuss legendary action director John Woo. Hot off the success of films like The Killer, and Hard Boiled, Woo left Hong Kong for Hollywood to re-invent the action genre with Hard Target. The Jean-Claude Van Damme vehicle takes a classic short story from literature and infuses it with high kicks, hi-tech hunting, and t...

Blane is pretty cool. Duckie is pretty crazy. Andie is pretty in pink. We hope you have a date for the Prom, because Jeff and Andrew are back and they're joined by 1986 Special Correspondent Jenna Koszo for a debate on Pretty in Pink. Has high school heartache changed over the years? Why is Blane such a bad date? Will the term "Hughesian" catch on?

Pam Grier is...JACKIE BROWN. The third film from Quentin Tarantino remains his only adapted work, as he took Elmore Leonard's novel, Rum Punch, and crafted a star-relaunching crime drama for 70's greats, Pam Grier and Robert Forster. On this episode, Brad and Jeff discuss QT's cinematic style and how it changed the way movies are made. Top 5 favorites, Tarantino&apos...

As the second highest paid actor in 1986, Clint Eastwood was eating concertina wire and pissing napalm. Jeff, Brad, and Andrew are talking Heartbreak Ridge on this episode! Facing mandatory retirement, leatherneck lifer Gunny Highway is back in his old unit to take command of the misfits of Recon Platoon. It's his will against theirs and they will lose. It's time to improvise, ov...

You know his name. You love his movies. In the history of cinema, Stanley Kubrick is one of the greatest of all time. On this episode, Brad and Jeff discuss Kubrick's impressive filmography, which arguably began with his 1956 film noir classic, The Killing. It's a straightforward heist film, known for heavily influencing and often inspiring a generation of filmmakers, from Tarant...

The NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament has just concluded, and there's no better time for a discussion about Hoosiers than now. Join Jeff and Dayton as they discuss what is arguably the greatest basketball movie to date.

At age 19, Adam Wingard began his successful directing career, primarily in the horror genre. After films like You're Next, and his collaborative work on the V/H/S franchise, he breathed new life into The Blair Witch. With his blockbuster Godzilla vs Kong releasing in theaters and on HBO Max, we take a look at his 2017 adaptation of the super natural thriller, Death Note.

They're small, furry, full of attitude, and they bite! David and Scott are back to discuss Critters with Jeff. Are the space-traveling monsters that attack a Kansas farm a total rip-off of Gremlins? Is Critters the best film in the Critters franchise? Does anyone care about justice for Billy Zane more so than Jeff? Get these answers and more on this hilarious episode!

Zack Snyder knows a thing or two about successful comic book adaptations. He wowed audiences with 300 and Watchmen, but before his world-building of the DCEU, he crafted a unique original story in Sucker Punch. It's a visually stunning fantasy adventure that divides critics and audiences to this day.

They came to SpaceCamp for a summer of training and fun. Without warning... They were launched into space! The challenge will be getting back alive. Jeff and Andrew talk NASA, and the incredible cast of young actors that became box office stars. Andrew shares his experiences at the real SpaceCamp. All this, and Tom Skerritt's mustache!

When searching for eclectic cinema, one needn't look farther than Wes Anderson. His films are crafted with dry humor, unique characters, and painstaking levels of detail. His 2004 dramedy, The Life Aquatic with Steve Sizzou, puts his go-to supporting star Bill Murray front and center as an egocentric oceanographer and documentary filmmaker determined to hunt down the mythical "jaguar shar...

When budget concerns threaten to close Commandant Lassard's police academy, Mahoney and the gang head back in training to help the new recruits shape up and save the day! So why did Steve Guttenberg leave the franchise after this one? Do the slapstick shenanigans translate to today's movie audience? Jeff and Scott debate this and a whole lot more!

In 1998, F. Gary Gray pitted two of Hollywood's most in-demand stars against one another in The Negotiator; his tension-filled crime thriller. On this episode, Brad and Jeff discuss Gray's impressive filmography, from Friday to The Fate of the Furious, and debate great character actors and how the classic western Shane really ended.

Haven't you ever done something in your life you wish you could do over again... and this time get it right? Robin Williams and Kurt Russell star in this football comedy about replaying the game they lost 13 years ago. Jeff, Brad, and Dayton talk football, debate great character actors, and contemplate the merits of moving on from the past.

For five decades, Martin Scorsese has delivered hit after hit. We've rooted for his bad guys, be they an unhinged vigilante, or a slimy Wall Street broker. We've become envious of the gangster lifestyle, and we've marveled at the culture of people and places, long since passed. With Silence, his 2016 drama about two Jesuit priests setting out on a dangerous mission to fi...

Welcome to the first episode of our limited series! A Film By... co-host Jeff Johnson believes that the year 1986 stands out as the best year for movies in the 80's. Whether or not he's right, we're kicking things off with The Money Pit. Tom Hanks and Shelly Long find themselves deeply in love and deeply in debt in this fixer-upper comedy!

From the erotic coming of age story about teenage boys with an older woman, to the magical and fantastical coming of age story about teenage witches and wizards at Hogwarts, Alfonso Cuaron has delivered an amazing body of work. On this episode, Brad and Jeff discuss his 2006 film Children of Men; a highly revered film whose message was lost on audiences upon it's initial release, but is e...

If you can name the seven deadly sins, or recite the first rule of Fight Club, you're most likely a fan of David Fincher films. In the first episode of 2021, Brad and Jeff discuss his 2011 psychological thriller The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. It's a remake. It's a book adaptation. It's David Fincher at his best.

Season's greetings! It's the final episode of 2020.  Brad and Jeff share their favorite non traditional Christmas movies, and discuss Richard Donner's Scrooged; his 1988 interpretation of the timeless Dicken's classic. Bill Murray is anything but the Ebenezer Scrooge you grew up knowing in this contemporary retelling that is bound to put a little love in your heart!

Having established himself with the iconic Evil Dead trilogy, horror auteur Sam Raimi trades deadites for double crossing in his Minnesota-based crime thriller about three men finding a bag full of money deep in the woods.